e 
482 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 
ANSER HYPERBOREUS.— Pallas. 
The Snow Goose. 
Anser hyperboreus, Pallas. Spic. Zool., VI. (1767) 25. Nutt. Man., IT. 844. 
Aud. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 562. Jb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 212. 
Anas hyperborea. Gm., 1.504. Wils. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 76. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Adult.— Bill and legs red; color pure-white; primary quills black towards the 
end, silvery-bluish gray towards the base, where the shafts are white; the spurious 
quills are also bluish; inside of wings, except primary quills, white; immature birds 
have the head washed with rusty. 
Young. — Head and upper part of neck white; lower part of neck to the wings 
dark-brown, passing on the sides of body into a more ashy shade; rest of under 
parts, concealed portions of the back, rump, and upper coverts, white; the entire 
scapular and scapular region is ashy-brown, each feather with faint reddish-brown 
margin; the upper surface of the wing is of a clear silvery-ash, but passing into dark- 
brown on the ends of the quills; the coverts, secondaries, tertials, and scapulars, 
edged with white; iris light-brown. 
Length, about thirty inches; wing, sixteen and forty one-hundredths; tarsus, 
three and twelve one-hundredths; commissure, two and ten one-hundredths inches. 
This is another rare species on our New-England sea 
coast. As a general thing, it is only seen during the winter ; 
but we have, in the Massachusetts State Cabinet, a fine speci- 
men that was taken in Boston Harbor, in July, 1863. It is 
strictly a northern species, and hardly belongs to our fauna. 
Dr. Richardson, in describing its breeding habits, says, 
“Tt breeds in the barren grounds of Arctic America, in 
great numbers. The eggs, of a yellowish-white color and 
regularly ovate form, are a little larger than those of the 
Rider Duck; their length being three inches, and their 
greatest breadth two. The young fly in August; and, by 
the middle of September, all have departed to the south- 
ward. The Snow Goose feeds on rushes, insects, and in 
autumn on berries, particularly those of the Hmpetrum 
nigrum.” 
BERNICLA, STEPHENS. 
Bernicla, StEPHENS, Shaw’s Gen. Zool., XII. (1824) 45. (Type Anas ber- 
nicla, L.) 
Bill about as long as head or shorter; the commissure nearly straight; the teeth 
of upper mandible concealed, except perhaps at the base; bill and legs black. 
