THE GREATER SNOW GOOSE 249 



their southern movements before the larger spe- 

 cies. 



Few New England gunners have any per- 

 sonal acquaintance with this bird, but in the 

 West, on the plains, in the marshes and along 

 the Pacific coast they are very abundant during 

 the flight seasons. Their large flocks seen at 

 a distance on the brown grass look like the re- 

 mains of some great snow drift not yet con- 

 quered by the sun. In its eastern habitat it 

 passes the winter months in the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf States, and on its western range it 

 winters in Texas and on the coast of Southern 

 California in great numbers. On the Atlantic 

 coast line they become much more abundant 

 southward, where practically all the Snow 

 Goose population of the eastern half of the con- 

 tinent congregates for the cold weather. 



Its plumage is very striking — for the most 

 part of snowy whiteness, with a speckling of 

 rusty brown on the head, darkest at the base of 

 the bill and gradually fading into the white of 

 the neck. Primaries blackish; eyes brown; feet 

 dull purplish red with black nails. The bill 

 very stout, deep and rather narrow, pale pur- 

 plish with white nail. In weight the Snow 



