GEESE 119 



close to the waters edge or actually floating on the surface, and 

 it is composed of grasses, rushes and sedges lined with down. 

 Six to ten buffy white eggs with a very peculiar papillose or 

 granulated surface are laid, and these eggs are most wonder- 

 fully large for the size of the bird. Seven from Salinas, 

 California, April 26, 1894, were in a floating nest of tules 

 lined with down which was fastened to living tules in a slough. 

 These eggs measure 2.48 x 1.85, 2.51 x 1.83, 2.54 x 1.84, 2.43 

 X 1.79, 2.45 X 1.81, 2.46 x 1.85, 2.55 x 1.80. In Maine the 

 nesting season is in June. They usually occur in small 

 flocks, not over five to ten at the very outside, and nest in small 

 scattered colonies. Their food is of an animal nature, in part 

 at least, consisting inland of aquatic larvae and water insects, 

 small fish and the like. I know nothing of what they eat on 

 the coast. 



Subfamily ANSERINE. Geese. 

 Key to the species of ANSERINE. 



A. Bill yellow or yellowish. 



1. Head and neck brown. 



a'. Rump fuscous, nail of bill black. Am. White-fronted Goose. 



(Immature, see Hypothetical List), 

 a*. Rump gray, nail of bill yellow. Blue Goose. (Immature, see 



Hjrpothetical List), 



2. Forehead, or forehead and head both white. 



§. Forehead only white. Am. White-fronted Goose. (Hypothetical 

 List). 

 §§. Whole head white. 



?. Primaries black, otherwise plumage wholly white. 



a'. Bill under 2.40 ; wing under 17.10. Lesser Snow Goose. 

 a?. Bill over 2.40 ; wing over 17.10. Greater Snow Goose. 

 ??. Back grayish brown. 



a'. Wing coverts not conspicuously white margined; rump 



and belly gray. Blue Goose. (Hypothetical List). 

 a^. Wing coverts widely and prominently white margined ; 

 rump and belly whitish, 

 b". Bill under 2.40 ; wing under 17.10. Lesser Snow Goose. 

 (Immature). 



