■.^x- 





BRANT. 



BLACK BRANT. BRANT GOOSE. 

 Branta BERNICLA. 



Char. Mantle blackish brown, the feathers paler on the edges ; head 

 and neck black, with patch of white on sides of the throat ; quills and 

 tail black ; tail-coverts white ; under parts grayish brown, the feathers 

 tipped with white, lower belly white ; bill and legs black. In the winter 

 the mantle has a rufous tinge. Length about 25 inches. 



N'est. On a cliff or sandy beach ; made of grass, moss, and weed-stems 

 thickly lined with down. 



Eggs. 4-6 (usually 4) ; dull white or creamy ; average size about 2.85 

 X 1.90. 



The Brant is another of the hardy aquatic birds common 

 to the hyperboreal regions of both continents. It breeds in 

 great numbers on the coasts and islands of Hudson Bay and 

 the Arctic Sea, and is rarely seen in the interior. In Europe 

 these birds proceed to the most northern isles of Greenland 

 and to the dreary shores of Spitzbergen. In winter they are 

 very abundant in Holland and in Ireland, as well as in Shet- 

 land, where they remain until spring. In America, though they 

 visit in the course of their migrations most of the Northern 

 and Middle States, they proceed still farther south to spend 



