C. H. Merriam Birds of Connecticut. 121 



time afterwards, however, on again meeting the Doctor, the hunter 

 said that, a few days before, he heard the Swans coming and rushed 

 into the house for his gun, but before he returned with it they had 

 passed over, between the house and barn, that he had a good sight 

 at them and was confident that they were Trumpeters. Proof is 

 wanting to show that some of the birds mentioned under the last 

 species were not really Cygnus buccinator. 



230. Anser hyperboreus Pallas. Snow Goose. 



A rare winter visitor. Linsley records seven specimens from 

 Stratford, Conn. Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, has a magnificent 

 specimen of this species in his cabinet. It was killed on the coast 

 near Saybrook, Conn., in the fall of 1875. 



NOTE. The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis Boie), a rare acci- 

 dental visitor to our coast, from Europe, is given by Linsley from 

 Stonington, Conn., but on insufficient evidence. Stragglers have 

 been taken from South Carolina to Hudson's Bay, and a fine speci- 

 men of this Goose was killed on Long Island, N. Y., in October, 

 1876 (recorded by Mr. Lawrence),* hence it may occur as a rare 

 accidental straggler. 



231. Branta bemicla (Linne) Scop. Brant Goose; Black Brant. 



A tolerably common spring and autumn migrant, sometimes re- 

 maining through the winter. Linsley said: "The Brant is common 

 here [Stratford, Conn.] in winter" (p. 269). Captain Brooks writes 

 me that they are " not common" at Faulkner's Island, where he has 

 " only taken one." Mr. Grinnell informs me that two specimens of 

 this species were killed off Stratford Light, Conn., last spring (1877). 

 Mr. Osborne also saw three individuals near the mouth of the East 

 Haven River, Conn., April 14th, 1876. Dr. Wood, of East Windsor 

 Hill, Conn., has a fine specimen in his cabinet. It was shot on the 

 Connecticut River, above Hartford, in the spring of 1876. 



This species is first recorded from New England by Thomas 

 Morton, who, in 1632, wrote: " There are Geese of three sorts, vize, 

 brant Geese, which are pide, and white Geese which are bigger, and 

 gray Geese, which are as big and bigger then the tame Geese of 

 England, with black legges, black bills, heads and necks black, the 

 flesh farre more excellent, then the Geese of England, wild or tame, 



* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 18, Jan., 1877. 

 TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 16 AUG., 1877. 



