•2IO HoWLEY on the Canada Goose. [October 



streams and brooks which intersect the island in all directions, 

 and have their outlet in various arms and inlets which indent the 

 shores of our island on every side. To these latter they invaria- 

 bly conduct their young broods as soon as they become strong 

 enough on the wing, and for some time prior to taking their de- 

 parture they frequent these fiords, where an abundant supply of 

 food is obtainable. A long, slender, reed-like grass, which 

 grows most luxuriantly in the shallow, brackish waters, known 

 as goose grass, is the especial attraction in these places. 



Not having had the good luck to have ever actually seen a Wild 

 Goose's nest myself, I am unable to say positively how many eggs 

 they lay, but judging from the numerous broods of young gos- 

 lings I have time and again come across, I should say they rarely 

 exceed half a dozen. The eggs are white, somewhat smaller 

 than those of the tame Goose, and more elongated in form. 



At this point I would venture to correct a mistake made in a 

 very interesting and instructive work entitled 'Game Birds of the 

 United States,' by Thomas Alexander, author of 'Fish and Fish- 

 ing,' published in the United States in 1879. Writing of the 

 Canada Goose, Mr. Alexander says: "He comes up from the 

 south with the earliest spring, bravely making the longest known 

 migrations in search of a breeding place. How far north he goes 

 before his particular taste in this matter is satisfied is unknown, 

 ybr 7to mortal eye has yet gazed upo7t the breeditig places of 

 the Canada Goose." This is an egregious error, as any one in 

 this country having the remotest knowledge of its wild-fowl can 

 easily demonstrate. 



The Canadian Goose undoubtedly does find its way to moi"e 

 northern regions, even perhaps beyond the limits reached by the 

 most famous Arctic explorers, and perhaps has solved the prob- 

 lem that has baffled and defied generations of the hardiest naviga- 

 tors, bvit I opine the summer season within the Arctic Circle is of 

 scarcely sufficient duration for the incubatory purposes of bii"ds 

 which require six months to mature. 



No matter what high latitudes the Canada Goose may have 

 been observed in, it is well known to breed here every summer. 

 It is quite a common practice with the fishermen in the outlying 

 settlements to make expeditions into the country in spring, in 

 search of the young broods of Geese, which they frequently 

 capture and bring out before they are able to effect their escape. 



