44 DUCK SHOOTING. 



The young resemble the adult, but have the head and 

 neck grayish brown. The length of this goose is about 

 28 inches ; the wing measures 16. 



Like many others of our inland water fowl, this 

 goose often has the plumage of head, neck, breast and 

 belly stained with rusty orange, as if soiled by iron 

 rust. 



The blue goose is an inhabitant of the interior, rang- 

 ing from the Hudson's Bay district south along the 

 Mississippi Valley to the Gulf of Mexico. It is not 

 found on either the Atlantic or Pacific coast, except 

 that in a few cases it has been taken on the extreme 

 northern coast of Maine. Little or nothing is known 

 about its breeding habits, though the Eskimo and In- 

 dians are authority for the statement that it breeds in 

 the interior of Labrador; and the occurrence of the 

 species in Maine would seem to lend color to this story. 

 Moreover, Mr. G. Barnston, in his paper on the Geese 

 of Hudson's Bay, states that in the migration, the blue 

 goose crosses James Bay, coming from the eastern 

 coast, while at the same time the snow goose makes its 

 appearance coming from the north. 



This species was long thought to be the young of the 

 snow goose, and was so figured by Audubon, appearing 

 on the same plate with that species. Occasionally speci- 

 mens are found which have considerably more white on 

 them than is given in the description above, but on the 

 whole, it seems to be very well established that the 

 species is a valid one. The color of the head and upper 

 neck varies somewhat with age, the white of these parts 



