GEESE 211 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



I. Whole head or forehead white. 



A. Bill yellowish. 



a. Forehead and feathers at the base of bill white. 



17 la. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (Ad.). 

 6. Head and neck white or grayish) sometimes tinged with rusty. 



6 1 . Primaries black, rest of plumage white. 



169. LESSER SNOW GOOSE. 169a. GREATER SNOW GOOSE. 



6 2 . Back grayish brown, rump and belly whitish, wing-coverts and 



tertials widely margined with white . . 169. LESSER SNOW 

 GOOSE (Im.). 169a. GREATER SNOW GOOSE (Im.). 



6 3 . Back grayish brown, rump, belly and wing-coverts gray, the 



latter not conspicuously margined with white. 



169.1. BLUE GOOSE (Ad.). 



B. Bill black, throat and sides of the head white, lores black. 



175. BARNACLE GOOSE. 

 II. Head or forehead not white. 



1. Head and neck brown, bill yellow or yellowish. 



A. Nail of bill black, rump fuscous. 



171a. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (Im.). 



B. Nail of bill yellow, rump gray 169.1. BLUE GOOSE (Im.). 



2. Head black or brownish black, bill black. 



A. Throat white . . 172. CANADA GOOSE. 172a. HUTCHINS'S GOOSE. 



B. Throat black or brownish black, neck speckled with white. 



a. Belly white 173. BRANT. 



6. Belly brownish gray 174. BLACK BRANT 



169. Chen liyperboreus hyperboreus (Pall.}. LESSER SNOW GOOSE. 

 Ads. Entire plumage, except primaries with their coverts, white; pri- 

 maries black, their bases and coverts ashy. Im. "Head, neck and upperparts 

 pale grayish, the feathers of the latter with whitish edges and (especially 

 wing-coverts and tertials) striped medially with darker; rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, tail and lower parts plain white. L., 23'00-28'00; W., 14'50-17'00; 

 B., 1-95-2-30; Tar., 2-80-3'25" (Ridgw.). 



Range. N. A. Breeds from mouth of the Mackenzie e. probably to 

 Coronation Gulf and Melville Island; occurs on the Arctic coast of ne. Asia, 

 but not known to breed there; winters from s. B. C., s. Colo., and s. Ills. s. 

 to n. L. Calif., cen Mex. (Jalisco), Tex., and La., and on the Asiatic coast 

 s. to Japan; generally rare in e. U. S. 

 SE. Minn., T. V. 



Eggs, uniform dirty, chalky white, 3'40 x 2'20 (B., B., and R.). Date, 

 Pt. Barrow, Alaska, June 18. 



169a. C. h. nivalis (Forst.). GREATER SNOW GOOSE. Resembles the 

 preceding in color, but is larger. L., 30'00-38'00; W., 17'35-17'50; B., 2'55- 

 2-70; Tar., 3'15-3'50 (Ridgw.). 



Range. E. N. Am. Has been found breeding at Whale Sound, n. Green- 

 land, and Ellesmere Land; full breeding range not known; winters from s. 

 Ills., Chesapeake Bay, and Mass, (rarely) s. to La., Fla., and West Indies to 

 Porto Rico; in migration rarely w. to Colo., and e. to New England and N. F. 



Long Island, rare T. V., in fall, Oct.8-Jan. 30. Ossining, A. V., Apl. 



Nesting date, Admiralty Bay, Alaska, June 17, 1898 (Norris) ; Mackenzie 

 Bay, June 15 (Thayer Coll.). 



The Snow Goose does not appear to be a common bird on any part 

 of the Atlantic coast. It migrates both by night and day, and when 

 on the wing its white plumage and black-tipped primaries render it 

 easily identifiable. It is a noisier bird than the Canada Goose, and its 

 voice is higher and more cackling. 

 1G 



