82 WATER FOWL. 



Brant are fond of sand, and it seems to be a necessity 

 to them. Every few days the birds will resort to the bars 

 in the sounds, or to the beach, and are often seen in such 

 places standing in long lines or dense masses, dressing 

 their feathers, or else sitting on the sand. When flying 

 they keep over the open water, avoiding the land when- 

 ever possible, so that there is not often an opportunity 

 given to shoot them from outlying points, or from 

 a narrow strip between two bodies of water. As 

 I have said. Brant do not dive, but feed in the 

 manner of other Wild Geese, by tilting up the 

 hinder part of the body and pulling up the grasses 

 and roots from the bottom. Its food is the eel grass 

 mainly, and although at times its flesh has a rather 

 strong flavor, yet as a rule, especially in spring, it is an 

 excellent bird for the table, and a young one is consid- 

 ered a delicacy. In calm weather Brant do not move 

 about much, but gather in companies on the open water 

 and feed, preen their feathers, or sleep, but before or 

 after a storm they are uneasy, and generally in motion, 

 flying apparently without any very definite purpose. 

 But if the coming storm is. likely to be severe, then they 

 are seen flying, flock after flock, to some chosen place 

 where they will be sheltered from the blast. In those 

 situations at such times, the w^ater is often black with 

 the birds seeking a refuge. 



Brant do not seem to be as plentiful in our eastern 

 waters as formerly, constant w^arfare against them 

 having greatly depleted their numbers, and in many 

 places where they were once numerous they are now 

 seen only in small bodies, or are absent altogether. This 

 species has not many names, being almost universally 

 known by the one at the head of this article, but some- 

 times it is called Brent, or Brent or Brant Goose, and also 



