LIFE HISTORTES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 249 



Xovomber 7, 1908). Stragglers, probably from a Hudson Bay mi- 

 gration route, have been recorded from Ontario (Toronto, Decem- 

 ber 2, 1895, and November 12, 1899), Manitoba (Shoal Lake and 

 Lake Manitoba), Michigan (Monroe, November 8, 1888), Wisconsin 

 (Hoy's record), and Nebraska (Omaha, November 9, 1895). Oc- 

 curs often, perhaps regularly, on the Pacific coast: British Colum- 

 bia (Comox, December 13, 1903), and California (Humboldt County, 

 January 30, 1914). Brooks (1904) says that " about 8 per cent of 

 the brant in Comox Bay are the eastern species." Accidental in 

 the West Indies (Barbados, November 15, 1876), Louisiana, and 

 Texas. 



Egg dates. — Greenland : Four records, June 14 to July 13. Elles- 

 mere Land : One record, June 17. 



BRANTA BERNICLA NIGRICANS (Lawrence) 



BLACK BRANT 



HABITS 



It seems strange that this bird (wliich is apparently only a sub- 

 species of the eastern brant), so abundant on the Pacific coast and 

 such a rare straggler on the Atlantic coast, should have been first 

 recognized in New Jersey and described from a specimen taken at 

 Egg Hai-bor. George N. Lawrence (184G), who described it, says: 



When on a shooting excursion some years since, at Egg Harbor, I noticed 

 a bird flying at some distance from us which our gunner said was a black 

 brant. This was the first intimation I had of sucli a bird. Upon further in- 

 quiry of him, he informed me he had them occasionally, but they were not 

 common. I have learned from Mr. Philip Brasher, who has passed much time 

 at that place, that, speaking to the gunners about them, they said they were 

 well known there by the name of black brant, and one of them mentioned that 

 he once saw a flock of five or six together. Since then two others have been 

 obtained at the same place, one of which I have in my possessiim. 



SpHng. — Chase Littlejohn, in some notes sent to Major Bendire, 

 says of the migration of black brant across the Alaska Peninsula: 



Thousands of these geese pass a mile or two offshore each spring on their 

 way north ; they follow the coast line from the eastward until they come to 

 Morzhovia Bay, where they sheer off for the Bering Sea. There bay and sea 

 almost meet, and as they have a great aversion to flying over (he land they select 

 a narrow portage from the liay to a long lake, which is separated from the 

 Bering Sea by a very narrow sand bar, not over 100 yards wide, and instead 

 of crossing the bar they fly to the opposite end of the lake, fully 2 miles, 

 and follow the outlet of the lake into Bering Sea and back to where you would 

 suppo.se they would have crossed in the first place, and then continnue on 

 their way north. In years gone by I think there was a passage through, but 

 by the action of the sea it has been closed. But the geese do not care to 

 forsake their old route and consequently break through their aversion of 



