II 



120 



GEESE. 



young corn, or cereals. When wounded, they dive readily and, with 

 their body just below the surface of the water and only the bill ex- 

 posed, head for the shore, where they attempt to hide in the vegetation. 

 In migrating, the flock is formed in a V-shaped wedge, the lead, it 

 is said, being taken by an old gander. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



I. "Whole head or forehead white. 

 A. Bill yellowisli. 

 «. Forelieud and feathers at the base of bill white. 



171«. Am. Wiiite-kro?jt'::d Goose (Ad.). 

 b. Head and nec'.c wliite or {jrayish, soinetiiiies tinged with rusty. 

 ft'. Primaries blfiei\, rest of plumage white. 



169. Lesser Snow Goose. IDiht. Greater Snow Goose. 



J'. Back grayish brown, rump and belly whitisli, wing-coverts and 



tertials widely margined with white. . . . lO'J. Lesser Snow 



Goose (Im.). 169fl. Greater Snow Goose (Im.). 



b>. Back grayish brown, rumj), belly, and wing-eoverts gray, the lat- 



. ter not conspicuously margined with white. 



ItJO.l. Blce Goose (Ad.). 

 Ji, Bill black, throat and sides of the liead white, lores black. 



175. Barnacle Goose. 

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

 A. Nail of bill bbick, rump fuscous. 



171«. Am. WniTE-FRONTEi) Goose dm.). 



Ji. Nail of bill yellov, rump gray Ki'.t.l. Bue Goose (Im.). 



in. Head black or brownish black, bill black. 



A. Throat white . . . \7:i. Canada (Joosf. 172«. lIiTcniNs's Goose. 

 £. Tliroat black or brownish black, neck speckled with white. 



a. Belly white 173. Brant. 



b. Belly brownish gray 174. Black Brant. 



169. Chen hypertiorea ( PuI/.). Lesser Snow Goose. .(//.—En- 

 tire plumage, except the jirinuirics with their coverts, white; primaries black, 

 their bases and coverts asiiy. /m. — " Head, ni'ck, and upper parts i)ale gray- 

 ish, the feathers of the latter with whitish edges and (especially wing-eoverts 

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

 lower parts plain white. L., 23-00-'_'S-on ; W., 14-r)0-17-00; B., M)r)-'.i'30; 

 Tar., li-SO-S-LT)" (Kidgw.). 



A'awf/^. — Western North America, breeding in .Maska ami migrating south- 

 ward to the Gulf; rarely found east of the Mississippi. 



i'ffffs, uniform dirty, chalky white, ;5'4(i x ii-'JO ( B., B., and U.). 



160aw C h. nivalis ( Foivf.). Greater Snow Goose. — Rese'nb'.cs the 

 preceding in color, but is larger. L., 30-00-3«-o0; W., 17-;35- 17'o0; B., 2-o5- 

 2'70 ; Tar., n-ir^-S-m (Kidgw.). 



7>*a;(j/f.— Eastern North America, breeding in the far north (exact breed- 

 ing range unkn<nvn); winters from Chesapeake Bay to Cuba; rare on tha 

 Atlantic coast north of Virginia. 



