Goose-shooting 253 



shy. In certain localities the eggs and flesh serve 

 as an important article of food for the natives. The 

 diet is composed of shellfish and Crustacea. The 

 flesh is strong, of a characteristic garlicky odor, 

 and unsuitable for the table. A few specimens of 

 this bird have been taken in California. Other 

 names for the emperor goose are white-headed 

 goose, Nudjarlik. 



BLACK-BELLIED TREE-DUCK 

 {Dendrocygtta autttmnalis) 



Adult viale and feinale — Similar in plumage; forehead, pale yel- 

 lowish brown, top of head, cinnamon ; nape and line down back 

 of neck, black ; sides of head and upper part of neck, gray ; chin 

 and throat, grayish white ; rest of neck, upper portion of breast, 

 and back, cinnamon-brown ; middle of back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts, black ; the wing, when closed, shows a white line for 

 nearly its entire length ; lower parts, yellowish brown ; abdomen, 

 flanks, and wing-coverts, black ; anal region, white spotted with 

 black; under tail-coverts, white; bill, orange-red at the base of 

 maxilla, with a bluish nail ; legs and feet, flesh color ; iris, brown. 



Measurements — Length, 22 inches; wing, 9.50 inches; culmen, 

 1.90 inches; tarsus, 2.25 inches. 



Young — Similar to adult, but duller in color; abdomen and sides, 

 grayish white, with dusky bars. 



Downy young — Upper parts, blackish brown, with patches of buff 

 on side of back and on each side of rump ; a bright buff stripe 

 over the cheeks and one from cheeks posteriorly, blackish brown ; 

 under parts, pale buff; belly, white. 



Eggs — Twelve to sixteen in number, ivory-white, with greenish 

 tinge, measure 2 inches by 1.50 inches. 



Habitat — Ranges through Central America and Mexico, north to the 

 lower Rio Grande River, in Texas, breeding throughout its range. 

 A few are said to occur on the coast of Louisiana all the year, and 

 it has been recorded from Jamaica and Fort Tejon, California. 



