234 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the evening the geese resort to the shallow pools (destitute of vegetation, with 

 gravelly bottoms) on the sides of the mountains. 



Plumages. — The downy young is exactly like that of occidentalis. 

 The molts and plumages are probably similar to those of the other 

 subspecies of this group. Doctor Nelson (1887) says: 



The first plumage of this bird is a dull grayish umber-brown ; the head and 

 neck almost uniform with the rest of the body and without any trace of the 

 white cheek patches. As is common to the young of many waterfowl, the 

 feathers of head, neck, and much of tlie rest of body are bordered with a 

 lighter shade than the main part of the feathers. The old birds molt their 

 quill feathers from the 20t]i of July until late in August, and flocks begia 

 forming as soon as the birds are on the wing again. From that time until the 

 last of September and first of October, when they migrate, they are found 

 scattered over the country, feeding on various berries, which are ripe on the 

 hillsides. 



Behavior. — Very little has been published about the habits of this 

 subspecies, but they are probably similar in the main to those of its 

 close relatives. Mr. Turner (1886) writes: 



As an illustration of the parental solicitude exhibited by these birds, I will 

 relate that several years ago a heavy fall of snow occurred in the latter part 

 of June at the islands of Agattu and Semichi and covered the ground with 

 more than 3 feet of snow. At that date the geese were incubating. The 

 geese did not quit their nests and were suffocated. The natives found 

 scores of the birds sitting dead on their nests after the snow had melted. 



During the summer the geese are not molested. The natives take many of 

 the young and domesticate them. I have seen as many as 50 young ones at a 

 time at Attu Island owned by the natives, to whom the goslings become much 

 attached, especially those who attend them. The goslings remain at large 

 during the winter, but have to be fed during severe spells of weather. The 

 housetops being covered with sod, the excessive heat within causes the grass 

 roots to continually send out new blades of grass. The geese are constantly 

 searching every housetop to find the tender blades. One man had a pair of 

 adult geese which he assured me had been reared from goslings, and that they 

 were then entering the sixth year of their captivity. These two geese did not 

 breed the second year of their life, but that every year thereafter they had 

 reared a brood of young and brought' them home as soon as hatched. The 

 wings and half of the tail feathers had to be clipped every season to prevent 

 them migrating. 



Messrs. Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer (1918) say: "The high pitch 

 of its call note, which resembles the syllables luh-lul\ is about the 

 best character to use in the field after recognizing the bird to be of 

 the Canada type." This note is " oft repeated " and has caused the 

 bird to be called the cackling goose. It is easily distinguished from 

 the notes of the Canada goose and the Hutchins goose. 



The same writers say further : 



In habits the cackling goose so nearly resembles the Hutchins goose that 

 no one has been able to point out differences. As with the latter species, the 

 cackling goose feeds largely on grass and grain during its stay in California. 



