ANATID^. 



73 



taken at Wheatley River, by Mr. William Stead, 

 October 7th, 1885, and is now in a private collect- 

 ion in Charlottetovvn. 



When the first soft skies of March bow 

 tenderly over the broken fields of snow, and 

 the bared head -lands stand red and flamin^^ 

 above the crystal floor of the river, then, on 

 the amber verge of the southern heaven, the 

 faint lines of the Common Wild Goose are 

 seen, and the deep -voiced honk of its flock- 

 ing call sounds from afar, the advance herald of 

 approaching spring. After two or three weeks, 

 the V-shaped lines of the flocks become quite 

 common, as vast numbers press on to their 

 breeding grounds in the North. When the ice 

 breaks in the harbors, the flocks come into the 

 dappled blue spaces, noisy and restless, gathering 

 into larger flocks, composed of several hundred 

 individuals, as April advances; and finally, at its 

 close, nearly all disappear, leaving our bays to 

 the humbler tribes of Ducks and Brant. While 

 here, they feed largely on eel -grass (Vallisneria 

 spiralis). Some few individuals have been known 

 to breed here; and some remain during mild 

 winters. 



