The Zoologist— July, 1869. I753 



American Coot, Fulica araericana, Gmelin.— Although this bird is 

 perhaps a regular summer jnigrant to Newfoundland I never met with 

 It, neither do I think it is the " Coot" of the settlers ; if so, I know it 

 IS frequently confounded with Pelionetta perspicillata {LinnX the 

 surf scoter. 



Anatid^. 

 American Swan, Cygnus americanus ? Sharpless. — Apparently a 

 rare and accidental visitor to the western coast of Newfoundland : I 

 saw only one specimen, which was an adult bird flying, south in the 

 fall of 1867. 



Snow Goose, Anser hyperboreus, Pallas.—Very rare : I heard of 

 one or two being obtained in the north of the island, and an equal 

 number on the west coast. 



American IVJiitefronted Goose, A. gambeli,iyaW;aM5.— Equally rare 

 with the preceding, or perhaps more so. It seems extraordinary that 

 these two common species of American geese should be so rare when 

 we consider that Newfoundland, in one place, is only separated by 

 twelve or fifteen miles of water from the mainland. 



Canada Goose, Bernicla canadensis {Linn.)—X regular summer 

 migrant, and by far the most abundant species, arriving in April and 

 in May by " countless thousands." The majority pass on to more nor- 

 thern regions to breed, although a great many remain for that purpose 

 m Newfoundland ; but, besides a general discrepancy in size, I have 

 almost invariably found the northern migrants of this species much 

 darker on the breast; in fact so much so that we used to call them 

 the "little blackbreasted northerners." The colour of the "down" 

 appears a good distinction between the sexes : on the male it is light 

 gray, and on the female dark gray, almost black. This was pointed 

 out to me by the settlers, who, however, know how to separate the 

 sexes by the shorter bill and head of the goose. The Canada goose 

 18 greatly prized for the table, and the settlers are adepts in " toling" 

 them within gunshot in the spring of the year, but it cannot be done 

 in the fall, or during the autumnal migration: a dog is generally used 

 for this purpose. The sportsman secretes himself in the bushes or 

 long grass by the side of any water on which geese are seen, and 

 keeps throwing a glove or stick in the direction of the geese, each 

 time making his dog retrieve the object thrown : this has to be re- 

 peated until the curiosity of the geese is aroused, and they commence 

 swimming towards the moving object. If the geese are a considerable 

 distance from the land, the dog is sent into the water, but as the birds 



SECOND SERIES VOL. III. 2 M 



