178 ANAS CANADENSIS, 



Their first arrival on the coast of New Jersey is curly 

 in October, and tlirir first numerous appearance is the 

 sure prognostic of severe weather. Those which 

 continue all winter frequent th<> shallow hays and marsh 

 islands ; their principal food being 1 the broad tender 

 green leaves of a marine plant which trrows on stones 

 and shells, and is usually called sea cabbage ; and also 

 the roots of the sedge, which they are frequently 

 observed in the act of tearing up. Every few days, 

 they make an excursion to the inlets on the beach for 

 gravel. They cross, indiscriminately, over laud or 

 water, generally taking the nearest course to their 

 object ; differing in this respect from the brant, which 

 will often go a great way round by water rather than 

 cross over the land. They swim well ; and, it' wing- 

 broken, dive and go a great way under water, can 

 the sportsman a great deal of fatigue before he cau kill 

 them. Except in very calm weather, they rarely sleep 

 on the water, but roost all night in the marshes. When 

 the shallow bays are frozen, they seek the mouths of 

 inlets near the sea, occasionally visiting the air holes in 

 the ice ; but these bays are seldom so completely frozen 

 as to prevent them from feeding on the bars. 



The flight of the wild geese is heavy and laborious, 

 generally in a straight line, or in two lines approximating 

 to a point, thus, O ; in both cases, the van is led by an 

 old gander, who, every now and then, pipes his well 

 known honk, as if to ask how they come on, and the 

 honk of " all's well" is generally returned by some of 

 the party. Their course is in a straight line, with the 

 exception of the undulations of their flight. When 

 bewildered in foggy weather, they appear sometimes to 

 be in great distress, flying about in an irregular manner, 

 and for a considerable time, over the same quarter, 

 making a groat clamour. On these occasions, should 

 they approach the earth, and alight, which they some- 

 times do, to rest and recollect themselves, the only 

 hospitality they meet with is death and destruction 

 from a whole neighbourhood already in arms for their 

 ruin. 



