Goose-shooting 219 



parts. Its toes are webbed only to the first joint, 

 and a warty skin extends from the nail of the bill 

 to behind the eye. Its habits are said to resemble 

 those of a crane more than a goose. The New 

 Zealand bird is still more peculiar. Its feet are 

 but little more webbed than the last, and its short, 

 thick bill is covered from the nail with a light 

 yellow skin, similar to that on a hawk. It is a 

 large and heavy bird, with short legs, brownish 

 ashy in color, and inhabits the dry interior plains, 

 never going near the water. 



LESSER SNOW GOOSE 



{Chen hyperbored) 



Adult male and female — Entire plumage with the exception of 

 primaries, snow-white ; the head sometimes tinged with rusty 

 anteriorly ; primaries, jet-black ; primary coverts, ash-gray ; bill, 

 pink ; nail, white ; feet, pink or purplish pink ; iris, brown. 



Measurements — Length, 25.50 inches ; wing, 15.75 inches; tarsus, 

 3.30 inches ; culmen, 2.10 inches. 



Young — Plumage, ashy gray, becoming white on chin, abdomen, 

 lesser wing-coverts, base of primary coverts, tail-coverts, and tail ; 

 bill and feet, a dirty pink ; the adult plumage is not fully 

 acquired before fourth year. 



Eggs — Four to six in number, of a yellowish white color, and meas- 

 ure 3 by 2 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds on the Arctic coast of Alaska, from Kotzebue 

 Sound to Point Barrow and probably east to Liverpool Bay. 

 Winters from British Columbia, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and 

 Kansas, south to California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and 

 Mexico, and very rarely in Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey ; very rare 

 east of the Mississippi, but reported as a straggler in Michigan, 



