300 ANATID.E: SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 



BARNACLE GOOSE. 

 BERNICLA LEUCOPSIS (Beckst.) Boie. 



Chars. Forehead, cheeks, and under parts of the head white ; side 

 of the bill narrowly bordered with black. Crown, nape, and 

 lower part of neck, jugulum, fore part of back, rump, and 

 tail black. Feathers of interscapulars and wings silvery bluish- 

 gray, passing into black towards the end, but with the extreme 

 tip whitish-gray. Tail-feathers similarly marked, but without the 

 pale tips. Under parts uniform bluish-white, the feathers on the 

 sides only showing a darker basal portion. Upper tail-coverts 

 and sides of the tail at the base white. Bill and legs black. 

 Length, 28.00 ; wing, 16.50 ; bill, 1.45 ; tarsus, 2.60. 



This is a European Goose, the occurrence of which 

 anywhere in North America is accidental. It is ques- 

 tionable whether it has ever visited New England spon- 

 taneously. The early records are too dubious to be relied 

 upon (Quincy, Mass., Cabot, Pr. Bost. Soc., iii, p. 136; 

 Mass. Peabody, Rep., 1839, P- 3 8 5)- As remarked by Dr. 

 Brewer, the supposed occurrences may be traced to the 

 escape of imported birds from confinement : " I omit this 

 from among the birds of New England," he says, " because 

 I am confident that all the instances of its supposed cap- 

 ture have been birds that had escaped from confinement. 

 It is a bird, at best, only accidental in America in a 

 wild state, is not uncommon in private collections of 

 water-fowl, and occasionally escapes. Eight birds 

 escaped from the grounds of a gentleman in Hali- 

 fax, in the fall of 1871 or 1872, many of which were 

 afterwards shot at various points along the coast. The 

 specimen taken in North Carolina and referred to by 

 Mr. Lawrence was probably one of these escaped birds " 



