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CHEN HYPERBOREUS (Ridgw). 



THE SNOW GOOSE. 



Specific Character. — Adult — Entire plumage, except the primaries, snow 

 white, the head sometimes stained with orange rufous anteriorly ; primaries deep 

 black, fading basally into grayish; the primary coverts and alula being hoary ash. 

 Bill, purplish red, the nail whitish, and the intertomial space black ; iris, dark 

 brown, eyelids, whitish ; feet purple or orange red, the soles, dingy yellowish. 

 Young — Above, including the head and neck pale cinereous, the feathers of the 

 dorsal region more whitish on their edges ; wing covers and tertials dark ciner- 

 eous centrally, their edges broadly pure white; secondaries mottled cinereous 

 skirted with white ; primaries as in the adult. Rump, upper tail coverts, tail, and 

 lower parts immaculate snowy white ; the tail and breast tinged with pale ash. 

 Head usually more or less tinged with orange rufous, this deepest anteriorly. Bill 

 • and feet dusky. 



Total length, about 30.00 inches; wing, 15.00-18.50; culmen, 1.95-2.80' 

 depth of maxilla at base, 1.15-1.50 ; tarsus, 2.80-3.50 ; middle toe, 2.10. 



Habitat. — The whole of North America, breeding far north ; more rare on 

 the Atlantic coast than westward ; south to Cuba. 



The Snow goose is not so common in Ontario as the Canada goose ; in fact, 

 some authors say it is only a straggler in Ontario ; still, in some localities they 

 are seen almost every autumn sometimes in company with the Canada geese. 

 Several specimens have been taken on the Grand River (the writer has one of 

 them in his collection), and no doubt the same may be said of other shooting sta- 

 tions in Ontario. It is a fine bird for the table, its flesh being white and better 

 flavoured than that of the other geese. Its principal line of flight during its mi- 

 grations is along the Mississippi valley. It is very common in the North-West 

 Jbeing there called by the Indians " Wevois," and by others " Wavie." 



