120 



GEESE 



sand. At the Yukon mouth and St. Michael they were found breeding 

 in scattered pairs over the flat country. Every one of the nests examined 

 by me in these places had a slight lining of grass or moss, gathered by the 

 parent, and upon this the first egg was laid; as the complement of eggs 

 is approached the female always plucks down and feathers from her 

 breast until the eggs rest in a soft warm bed when with incuba- 

 tion commences." 



The number of eggs will vary from 4 to 7, though 5 or 6 constitute 

 the usual set. The colour varies from light buff to creamy white, or pale 

 pinkish white, and the average size is 3.11 by 2.07 inches. The period of 

 incubation is about 28 days. The male does not desert the female during 

 the process and both parents assist in the care and protection of the 

 young. Hersey encountered a family of these birds on the Yukon delta 

 and, in notes quoted by Bent (1925), describes the encounter as follows: 

 "On the edge of a little pond on the tundra about 5 miles back from the 

 mouth of the river I found a pair of these geese and a brood of five 

 young. The birds had been resting under a clump of dwarf willows, and 

 on my approach the old birds came out into the open and attempted to 

 lead the young away over the open tundra. The young, although not 

 more than a day or two old, could run as fast as a man could travel over 

 the rough ground. I had to remove my coat before I could overtake 

 them. They did not scatter, but ran straight ahead, keeping close to- 

 gether, one of the parents running by their side and guiding them and 



the other flying along above 

 them and not more than 3 

 feet above the ground. The 

 young kept up a faint call- 

 ing, and the old birds oc- 

 casionally gave a low note 

 of encouragement." Nelson 

 (1887) says: "The young are 

 pretty little objects and are 

 guarded with the greatest care 

 by the parents, the male and 

 female joining in conducting 

 their young from place to 

 place and in defending them 

 from danger." 



During the flightless period 

 many of these geese are cap- 

 tured by the natives of the 

 North for food. A method of 

 securing the birds, related 

 in MacFarlane's unpublished 

 notes, is quoted by Bent 

 (1925) as follows: "We ob- 

 served about 30 geese ... on 



