BLUE GOOSE 141 



ming. Adult geese are voracious feeders, and the young soon following 

 their example and requirements, develop at a wonderful rate. Thus, 

 born after the middle of July, they are capable of short flights a little 

 more than a month later, and participate in the commencement of the 

 fall flight in early September. At this time they are practically full 

 grown. From the little data available, they seem to increase their origi- 

 nal weight at birth from sixteen to twenty times in the course of two 

 months. At a corresponding rate of growth, the average human infant 

 would weigh between 130 and 160 pounds when seven or eight weeks 

 old." 



The arrival of the Blue Geese on their breeding grounds in 1929 

 commenced on the 6th of June when large numbers of these birds passed 

 over to the north and northwest during the day; the Blues were always 

 in company with Lesser Snow Geese. "The heaviest migrational wave 

 of the species occurred over the 14th and 15th of the month. This was 

 more pronounced on the former date when, strangely enough, the birds 

 travelled directly in the teeth of one of the severest northwest gales of 

 the season; this appeared to tax their energy and tactics to the utmost. 

 .... On this day they flew low, sweeping in and out of valleys to take 

 advantage of every hill that afforded any protection from the roaring 

 gale." Associating with the mixed companies of Blue and Snow Geese 

 were large numbers of Lesser Canada Geese and Brant migrating in the 

 same direction. According to the records, the Blue Goose avails itself 

 of about eleven weeks in the spring to make the 3,000 mile flight from 

 Louisiana to the breeding range. If it so chose it "could easily make 

 the entire flight in two weeks, or a little more .... In the domestic 

 economy of the species, however, it seems necessary to make the flight 

 slowly and to recuperate largely at certain localities en route." 



The same writer (1941) says: "The autumn migration from the 

 eastern Arctic follows the east side of Hudson Bay, thence on a direct 

 southwest course to the wintering grounds in Louisiana. The spring fly- 

 way, on the other hand, lies along, or 

 somewhat west of the Mississippi River 

 bearing almost due north to the spring 

 rendezvous in southern Manitoba. From 

 here the route turns almost at right 

 angles toward James Bay, after which 

 the northward flight to the breeding 

 grounds follows the same route as the 

 autumn journey. A feature worthy of 

 note is that the spring migration route 

 is longer than that of the autumn by 

 approximately 600 miles." 



Of the spring migration of the Blue 

 and Lesser Snow Geese, and the stop- 

 over of the flocks in the Province of 



