CANADA GOOSE. 175 



and breast, as well as upper part of the back, of a 

 purplish brown, darkest where it joins the white; all 

 the feathers being finely tipt with pale brown ; whole 

 wing-coverts, very pale ash, or light lead colour, pri- 

 maries and secondaries, black ; tertials, long, tapering, 

 centred with black, edged with light blue, and usually 

 fall over the wing ; scapulars, cinereous brown ; lower 

 parts of the back and rump, of the same light ash as 

 the wing-coverts; tail, rounded, blackish, consisting 

 of sixteen feathers, edged and tipt broadly with white ; 

 tail-coverts, white ; belly and vent, whitish, intermixed 

 with cinereous ; feet and legs, of the same lake colour 

 as the bill. 



This specimen was a female ; the tongue was thick 

 and fleshy, armed on each side with thirteen strong 

 bony teeth, exactly similar in appearance, as well as in 

 number, to those on the tongue of the snow goose ; 

 the inner concavity of the upper mandible was also 

 studded with rows of teeth. The stomach was extremely 

 muscular, filled with some vegetable matter, and clear 

 gravel. 



With this, another was shot, differing considerably 

 in its markings, having little or no white on the head, 

 and being smaller; its general colour, dark brown, 

 intermixed with pale ash, and darker below, but 

 evidently of the same species with the other. 



256. ANAS CANADEXSIS, LINN^US AND WILSON. 



CANADA GOOSE. * 

 WILSON, PLATE LXVII. FIG. IV EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 



THIS Is the common wild goose of the United States, 

 universally known over the whole country ; whose 

 regular periodical migrations are the sure signals of 

 returning spring, or approaching winter. The tracts 

 of their vast migratory journeys are not confined to the 

 sea coast, or its vicinity. In their aerial voyages to and 

 from the north, these winged pilgrims pass over the 



