THE BREEDING GROUND AND WINTER HOME OF THE ROSS GOOSE 



"From its breeding grounds on the high Arctic Islands it comes south through the Mac- 

 kenzie Valley; but instead of turning to the southeast, to winter on the Gulf coast with the 

 other geese and ducks which have been its traveling companions, it parts company with them 

 at the national boundary line, goes south into Montana, and then strikes westward, crossing 

 the lofty ranges of the main chain of the Rocky Mountains and winters in California" (see 

 text, page 368). 



on the Xew England coast — is probably 

 as common now as it was 50 years ago, 

 in spite of scant protection by law. The 

 reason for its escape from the woeful 

 fate of its relatives is found in the re- 

 gions chosen for summer and winter so- 

 journ and in its iniique migration route 

 or, rather, routes. 



Its breeding grounds (see map, page 

 365) cover an immense area in Canada 

 and are mainly in a district which is still 

 sparsely inhabited and is likely to remain 

 so ; at least, it will hardly have population 

 enough to interfere with the nesting of 

 the birds. In the fall some of these 

 scoters go west and southwest to winter 

 along the whole Pacific coast of the 

 United States. Here they have not as 

 yet been much molested, owing to the 

 small market demand and the difficulty 

 of getting within shot range, as they both 

 feed and sleep on the ocean. 



But most scoters in the fall take an 

 easterly flight, and they are particularly 

 abundant in winter on the Atlantic coast 

 from Cape Cod to southern Xew Jersey, 

 especially in the neighborhood of the 

 eastern end of Long Island Soiuid. Here 

 100,000 and more liaAe been seen in a 

 single day; but as they. too. remain con- 

 tinually on the ocean, they are less easily 

 killed than are birds which feed closer 

 to land. 



CURIOUS MICKATroX ROUTKS 



Another peculiarity is the migration 

 routes of these Atlantic Ocean wintering 

 ])irds. Although few, if any. nest in the 

 Labrador Peninsula, yet in Atigust they 

 become abundant as migrants along the 

 east coast of southern Labrador, showing 

 that they must have come 1,500 miles 

 almost due east from their nearest breed- 

 ing grounds in Canada. In the late fall 



367 



