280 With Rod and Gun in New England 



The trumpeter swan also migrates through the interior of the country, 

 but is rarely found on the Atlantic seaboard. 



Of the migration of the wild goose and brant I need say but little, for 

 both are too well known to sportsmen, while the "honk " of the former species 

 is familiar to nearly every one, as they sweep north and south in autumn 

 and spring. The wild goose is not uncommon as far south as the Gulf of 

 Mexico, and breeds from Newfoundland northward, but the brant is rare as 

 far south as Florida, and breeds within the Arctic circle. We can judge 

 something of the height at which birds move when migrating, by watching 

 the flight of the geese. They often pass over upwards of a mile above the 

 earth and sometimes go even higher than this. I once saw a flock of 

 northward-flying geese, which were then moving so high above me that I 

 could barely see them, rise higher in order to avoid a black mass of clouds 

 which was accompanied by wind and rain, in fact, the birds passed directly 

 through the margin of the cloud and were lost to my sight above it. 



The true sea ducks do not migrate very far south as a rule. The 

 eider is mostly confined to the region between southern New England and 

 the coast of southern Labrador. The coots go further south, some- 

 times as far as Florida, and the same is true of the golden-eye and buffle- 

 head, but both of these species and some of the coots are known as 

 stragglers as far as the West Indies. 



Among the river ducks we find the scaups, ringneck, canvas-back, 

 red-head, wood-duck, pintail, baldpate, both teal, gadwall and black duck 

 going into the West Indies, but all are very abundant from the Carolinas 

 to Florida in winter. The mergansers also occur throughout the Southern 

 States in winter. 



Among shore birds we find some, like the woodcock, common through- 

 out eastern United States and breeding throughout its range, but northern 

 birds migrate southward in winter. The Wilson's snipe goes as far south as 

 the West Indies, but breeds from the islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 northward to within the Arctic circle. 



The red-breasted snipe reaches northern South America. The stilt- 

 sandpiper reaches Brazil. The knot, or red-breasted sandpiper is found 

 in winter all over the southern hemisphere, and is abundant in spring in 

 Florida. Both of these birds breed in the far north. 



The pectoral, red-back, least, semipalmated and white-rumped sand- 

 pipers scatter through the southern Gulf States and West Indies in winter ; 

 all breed far north. 



The sanderling has about the same migratory range as have the above- 

 given sandpipers. 



Of the two godwits, the Hudsonian breeds the farther north, within 

 the Arctic regions, but the marbled breeds from Iowa northward ; both 



