SNOW GOOSE. 99 



In the far-off northern regions of the earth, where snow-covered 

 ground, whether of hill or vale, is the rule of nature; in the bleak 

 and inhospitable wastes of the arctic circle — there it has pleased 

 Providence to locate the bird which is the subject of the present 

 notice. And not more purely white is that eternal snow than, save 

 and except the tips of the wings, is that of this bird's plumage; pre- 

 senting us with another example of adaptation of colour to that of 

 the creature's home, and of the provision and forethought which has 

 been made and shewn for that creature's protection. 



The Snow Goose is an inhabitant of the northern parts of America 

 and Asia, straying accidentally into the interior of Europe, or passing 

 through its eastern parts in its migrations to and from the south. It 

 has occurred in Russia, on the shores of the Caspian and Black ,^Seas 

 and in the Crimea. It is included among the visitors to Greece by 

 Count Milhle and Dr. Lindermayer. Degland records an instance of 

 its capture in the winter of 1829, in the neighbourhood of Aries; but 

 this was a young subject, and, as we shall presently see, probably a 

 distinct species. Temminck says it occurs accidentally in Prussia and 

 Austria, but never in Holland; and Naumann includes it in his work 

 on the "Birds of Germany.^' A reported instance of its capture in 

 England is mentioned by Degland, but it appears that M. Hardy, of 

 Dieppe, satisfactorily proved that the specimen was not killed in this 

 country. 



Brisson described the Snow Goose ("Ornith," vol. vi, p. 288,) as 

 Anser niveus. He also described another bird, at p. 275 of the same 

 volume, as Atiser syhestris freti hudsonis, which had previously been 

 described by Linnaeus as Anser ccerulescens ("Syst. Nat.," tenth edition,) 

 and which had also been figured by Edwards as the "Blue-winged 

 Goose," (vol. iii., pi. 152.) Latham, writing thirty years after Brisson, 

 describes the young of the Snow Goose as blue until it was a year 

 old; and Temminck, in his "Manuel," 1820, vol. ii, p. 817, described 

 the young bird as differing from its parent materially until it attained 

 the age of four years, and at the same time pointed out that in this 

 immature plumage it was the Anas ccerulescens of Linnaeus, and the 

 Anser sylvestris freti hudsonis of Brisson. So it has remained since 

 his day. The American writers, who ought to have been well acquainted 

 with the bird, have all followed Temminck and the other European 

 ornithologists. Nuttall says, (" Ornithology of United States," p. 345, 

 vol. ii,) "It is said the young do not attain the full plumage of the 

 old birds before their fourth year, and until that period they appear 

 to keep in separate flocks." 



All this, however, is positively denied by Mr. George Barnston, of 



