ANATID^E. CXXXVI. 235 



bill pink ; feet yellow ; nostrils basal. L. 27. W. 17. T. 6. Ts. 3. 

 N. Am., common W. of Mts. (-^w.) The American form is 

 var. gambeli (Hartlaub), distinguished by longer bill. B. If to 2. 

 The tame goose, A. anser L., is a European relative. (Lat., white- 

 fronted.) 



367. BRANT A Scopoli. (Eng., Brant.) 



a. Forehead black; cheeks and chin white; no white stripes or collar on 

 neck. 



720. B. canadensis (L.). WILD GOOSE. CANADA GOOSE. 

 Grayish brown, more or less barred with whitish, paler below ; 

 head and neck black ; tail black ; upper coverts and crissum white. 

 L. 36. W. 20. T. 7. B. 2. N. Am., abundant, U. S. in winter ; 

 the commonest of our geese ; runs into varieties W. 



aa. Forehead, cheeks, and chin black; white stripes on neck. 



721. B. bernicla (L.). BRANT GOOSE. BARNACLE GOOSE. 

 Head, neck, front, quills, and tail black; white patch on neck; 

 white on rump, crissum, etc ; back brownish gray. L. 24. W. 13. 

 T. 5. B. 1. N. Atl., rarely S. in winter. (En) (Eng. barnacle ; 

 these geese once supposed to hatch from barnacles.) 



368. OLOR Wagler. (Lat., Swan.) 



722. O. columbianus (Ord). WHISTLING SWAN. Tail 20 

 feathered ; bill with a yellow spot, not longer than head ; nostrils 

 median. L. 50. W. 20. T. 8. B. 4. N. Am., mostly coastwise. 

 (From Columbia R.) 



723. O. buccinator (Richardson). TRUMPETER SWAN. Plum- 

 age white, sometimes washed with rusty ; young grayish ; tail (nor- 

 mally) 24 feathered ; bill black without yellow spot, longer than 

 head ; nostrils sub-basal. L. 60. W. 27. T. 9. B. 4J. N. Am. 

 E. to 111. (Lat., trumpeter.) 



ORDER XXXVI. HERODIONES. (THE HERONS AND 

 STORKS.) 



Desmognathous waders, without basipterygoid processes; the 

 feet not palmate. Birds mostly, but not always, of large size, with 

 compressed bodies, long legs, and a very long S-bent neck of 15 to 

 17 vertebrae; tibia naked below; toes long and slender, cleft or 

 slightly webbed, the hind toe long and usually not elevated, pro- 

 vided with a large claw. Wings broad, rounded; tail short. 

 Head contracted to the stout base of the bill which is long and 

 usually hard and acute, with sharp cutting edges ; nostrils small, 

 elevated part of head often naked. Altricial. The species live 

 about water, feeding on fishes, reptiles, etc., which are speared by 

 a thrust of the bill. The leading families are represented in our 

 fauna. 



