X hi. sox on the Black Brant. 1 3 I 



HABITS OF THE BLACK BRANT IN THE VICINITY 

 OF ST. MICHAELS, ALASKA. 



BY E. W. NELSON. 



The long reign of ice and snow begins to yield to the mild 

 influence of the rapidly lengthening days ; the middle of May 

 is reached, and the midnight sky oyer the northern horizon 

 blushes with delicate rose tints, changing to purple toward the 

 zenith. Fleecy clouds passing slowly across the horizon seem to 

 quiver and glow with lovely hues only to fade to dull leaden 

 again as they glide from the reach of fair Aurora. The land, so 

 lately snow-bound, becomes dotted with pools of water and the 

 constantly narrowing borders of the snow soon make room for the 

 Waterfowl which, with eager accord, begin to arrive in abun- 

 dance, some upon lagging wings, as if from far away, others 

 making the air resound with joyous notes as they recognize some 

 familiar pond where, for successive seasons, they have reared 

 their young in safety, or, perhaps, a favorite feeding ground. At 

 this time the White-fronted and Hutchins's Geese take precedence 

 in numbers though, to be sure, they have been preceded for two 

 weeks by the hardy Pintail Duck, the Common Swan and, lastly, 

 that ornithological harlequin, the Sandhill Crane, whose loud 

 rolling note is heard here and there as it stalks gravely along, 

 dining upon the last year's berries of Em^petrum nigrum, when, 

 meeting a rival, or perchance one of the fair sex. he proceeds to 

 execute a burlesque minuet. 



A few days later, upon the mirror-like bosoms of myriads 

 of tiny lakelets, the graceful Northern Phalaropes flit here and 

 there or swim about in pretty companies. At length, about the 

 20th of May, the first Barn Swallow arrives and then we begin 

 to look for the Black Brant, the "JVimMe" as it is. called by the 

 Russians, the " Luk-lug'-u-nuk" of the Norton Sound Eskimo. 

 Ere long the avant-courier is seen in the form of a small flock 

 of ten or fifteen individuals which skim along close to the ice 

 heading directly across Norton Sound to the vicinity of Cape 

 Nome, whence their route leads along the low coast to Port 

 Clarence where, I am told by the natives, some stop to breed : but 

 the majority press on and seek the ice bordered northern shore 



