250 FEATHERED GAME 



Goose varies from six to eight pounds, tliiis not 

 so large as the Canada. The length of this spe- 

 cies is between twenty-eight and thirty inches, 

 with a wingspread of from fifty-eight to sixty- 

 two inches. 



There are two other species of Snow Geese 

 in North America, both inhabiting the western 

 half of the continent, — the Lesser Snow Goose 

 {Chen hyperborea), a race which probably in- 

 tergrades with the present species, breeding 

 in Arctic America and Alaska and in winter 

 coming south to the central plains, or on the 

 coast to southern California, — and Ross' Snow 

 Goose {Chen rossii), the smallest of North 

 American geese, mainly a maritime race, breed- 

 ing far away in the north, and often associat- 

 ing with the Lesser Snow Goose, from which it 

 may be distinguished by the wart-like growth 

 at the base of the upper mandible. This spe- 

 cies has much the same range as its relative just 

 named, though, as mentioned, Ross' Goose is 

 more often taken on the coast. Neither of 

 these small geese are taken on the Atlantic 

 coast. None of these birds are much given to 

 coming to decoys. 



