100 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. 



BRANTA CANADENSIS HUTCHINSII Sw. & RICH. 

 65. Hutchin's Goose. (172) 



Tail, of sixteen feathers ; colors, exactly as in the Canada Goose but size less. 

 Length, about 30 inches ; wing, 15-17; tail, 5-6; bill, !-!. 



HAB. -North America. Breeds in the Arctic regions, south in winter to 

 Mexico. 



Nest, usually a depression in the sandy beach, lined with leaves, grass, 

 feathers and down. In the Anderson River region, the eggs of this species have 

 been taken from the deserted nests of crows and hawks. 



Eggs, white, four to six, laid in June or July. 



This is apparently a small race of the preceding, from which it 

 differs slightly in plumage, and it has been, raised to the rank of a 

 separate subspecies, in which position it is as easily considered as in 

 any other. Small geese are occasionally seen in company with the 

 last groups of the others which pass in spring, but they are fewer in 

 number and are less frequently obtained. 



I once saw a fine pair of these birds in the hands of a local 

 taxidermist, with whom they had been left to be " stuffed," and with 

 such vigor was the operation performed, that when finished it was a 

 hard matter for anyone to tell to which species the birds originally 

 belonged. 



The differences between Hutchin's and the Canada Goose seem to 

 be constant, and most writers are satisfied to treat them as now 

 placed. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson, who was familiar with the appearance of this 

 species as it occurred at St. Michael's and the mouth of the Yukon, 

 says regarding it in the " Birds of Alaska " : " Prom my observations 

 I should decide the centre of abundance of this species to be along 

 the lower Yukon and thence south to the Kuskoquim." 



" The main difference between this form and canadensis is the 

 smaller size of the former. In hutchinsii, the black of the head and 

 neck tends to assume a glossier black, and the dark color very com- 

 monly encroaches upon the white cheek patches, frequently separating 

 them by a broad black throat-band. The main distinction, however, 

 besides the smaller size, is in the much lighter color of the lower 

 surface. The white abdominal area extends forward and almost 

 encloses the thigh in some cases, and almost invariably there is no 

 definite line of demarcation between the white and brown areas. In 

 addition, the grayish-brown of the breast is very light, and the 



