4IO BERXACLE GOOSE. 



to the southern end of Hudson Bay. Three individuals obtained, 

 respectively, in Nova Scotia, New York and North Carolina are 

 suspected of having escaped from semi-domestication. That the 

 Bernacle was an annual autumnal visitor to South Greenland has 

 long been known, while Graah recorded its occurrence on the 

 East coast of that vast island, and the Danish Expedition of 1891-92 

 found it breeding in considerable numbers up the extensive Fjords 

 of Scoresby Sound, above 70° N. lat. From the evidence of Mr. J. 

 Lament, Mr. Leigh Smith's party, and Mr. Trevor-Battye, it occurs, 

 and possibly breeds, in some parts of the Spitsbergen archipelago ; 

 but its existence is not proven on Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, 

 or the islands to the south, except Kolguev, where Mr. Trevor- 

 Battye saw five birds. No specimens were brought by the ' Vega ' 

 expedition from any part of Arctic Siberia nor by recent travellers. 

 The nesting of a pair for several successive years on Borgevajr, one 

 of the Lofoten Islands, off the coast of Norway — as recorded by Prof. 

 Collett — may be looked upon as exceptional. On migration this 

 species visits Russia, Scandinavia, Denmark, and the north-western 

 coasts of Europe, with even the large rivers : for example, the Weser 

 above Bremen, and far up the Vistula ; accidental visitors have 

 been obtained at the mouth of the Guadalquivir in Spain, and near 

 Foggia in Italy ; and Mr. C. A. Payton says that he saw a couple on 

 November 3rd 1887 as far south as Mogadon 



The Bernacle breeds freely in captivity, its eggs being white and 

 measuring 275 by i'9 in. It feeds on the grass pastures near the 

 sea, and always at night, except when very much harassed by gunners 

 during moonlight. While feeding, the flocks are noisy and keep up 

 a constant cackling, while sentinels are posted to give the alarm. 

 The name is attributable to the vulgar belief that this species and 

 the Brent were hatched from bernacles {Lepadidcr) attached to logs 

 of wood floating in the sea, as often described up to the date of a 

 paper published by the Royal Society in 1678. 



The adult has a black stripe between the eye and the bill, while 

 the head, neck and throat are also black ; forehead, cheeks and chin 

 white ; mantle lavender-grey, barred with bluish-black and white ; 

 quills and tail-feathers almost black ; breast and belly greyish ; vent 

 and tail-coverts pure white ; flanks barred with grey ; bill, legs and 

 feet black. Length 27 in. ; wing 16 in. The female is slightly 

 smaller than the male. The young bird has the white of the 

 cheeks varied with black, rufous edges to the feathers of the 

 mantle, darker bars on the flanks, and paler legs. 



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