75 
Distribution. Of about the same distribution as last species, but perhaps more 
common on the coast and less so on the Great Lakes. 
167. Ruddy Duck. FR—LE CANARD ROUX. Erismatura jamaicensis. L, 15. 
A small duck. Male strikingly coloured, rich rufous-chestnut on neck, shoulders, back, 
and flanks; crown and back of head almost black, and cheeks and lower face white. Female 
small, dull greyish-brown, lighter on underparts and cheeks, and with a dark cap. 
Distinction. Male is the only Duck that is largely red. Female can be told by the 
ey grebe-like sheen of the underparts, and, in any plumage, by the stiff pointed tail 
eathers. 
Field Marks. Size, short squatty shape, and thick neck. Its habit of occasionally 
carrying its tail erect and spread out fan wise is also a good guide, though some Scoters 
also are said to do this at times. 
Nesting. In reeds over water. 
Distribution. Nests in the prairie provinces northward; more common in migrations 
on the Great Lakes than on the coast. 
Sub-family—Anserine. Geese. 
General Description. Geese resemble ducks, but are larger with a less flattened body 
and comparatively longer legs; bill (Figure 10, p. 19) is higher and somewhat more com- 
pressed at base, stouter and less flattened at tip, hardly to be termed spatulate but with 
the broad nail at tip characteristic of the order. 
Field Marks. The strong flight of the geese is familiar to most. Size, coloration, 
and flight habits are the best field guides. Their hoarse honking voices so often heard 
during migration are also characteristic. 
Nesting. On ground. 
Distribution. Geese are of world wide distribution. The American species all breed 
well to the north, migrating through the interior as well as along the coasts. 
The geese are more terrestrial and herbivorous than the ducks but 
they are equally at home on the water. They do not normally dive, but 
secure food from the bottom by tipping and reaching by means of their long 
neck. The sexes are alike and there is little seasonal change of plumage. The 
goose is an excellent table bird and for this reason and on account of its 
superior size it is much sought after by sportsmen. Geese are exceedingly 
wary and, though greatly reduced in number, have been able to take better 
care of themselves than many other large game birds. 
Economic Status. Feeding largely upon grasses and frequenting 
cultivated areas in migration more than other members of their order they 
may do more harm than the ducks, but this has never been seriously held 
against them. Their value in other directions is so obvious that less 
complaint has been made against geese than against other species equally 
worthy of protection but whose usefulness though real is less obvious. 
169. Snow Goose. LAUGHING GOOSE. WAVEY. FR.—L’OIE BLANCHE. Chen hyper- 
boreus. L, 23. A rather small goose, pure white with black primaries. Juveniles with 
more or less grey or greyish-brown washing locally or over all. 
Distinctions. Cutting edges of mandibles are more or less bowed away from each 
other, exposing tooth-like serrations and giving the face that appearance from which the 
name, laughing, is derived. 
Field Marks. Colour and evident goose-like flight and outline. 
Nesting. On ground. 
Distribution. The Lesser Snow Goose breeds on the Arctic coast and islands from 
Coronation gulf westward. It migrates down the interior of the continent, the Greater 
along the Atlantic coast. 
SUBSPECIES. There are two subspecies of Snow Goose in Canada, the Lesser 
and the Greater, differing only in size; but as the two intergrade this is not an entirely 
reliable distinction. There is a difference based upon the comparative shapes and sizes of 
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