Notes on Birds and Mammals. 127 
Payne, at Hubert’s Bay, on the south shore of the Strait. 
A few are sometimes obtained at Moose, by which I had an 
opportunity of comparing them with the smaller and more 
common variety. 
This Anser Canadensis (Major?) instead of being found 
feeding during its autumn visit on the low marshy shores 
of the bay, is seen on the higher and more rocky ground 
on the east coast, where its principal food is berries of 
various kinds. 
By far the most numerous of the goose tribe that visit 
Moose and Albany marshes in the autumn are the snow 
goose (A. hyperboreus), and the blue wavy or blue-winged 
goose of Edwards. Some forty-five years ago, when I was at 
‘Moose, only the blue-winged wavy was seen at Rupert’s 
River, and no snow geese; and it is so at the present time. 
About equal numbers of both kinds used of old to visit 
Moose, and such is the case now; but half a century ago 
not a single blue-winged goose was to be seen at Albany 
River, 100 miles north of Moose, while now they are about as 
numerous at the former place as the snow goose, and both 
are more abundant at Albany than at any other part of the 
west shore of Hudson’s Bay. As far as I can learn, no 
blue-winged geese are ever seen at York Factory, latitude 
57° N., nor at any of the lines of flight of the snow 
goose further to the west. 
As these two species resemble each other in form, size, 
and call, but not in colour; and as they often feed together, 
the blue-winged was for a long time considered as the 
young of the white wavy, an erroneous opinion, which I 
endeavoured to correct, after seeing a great many of both 
kinds of birds.’ I showed that the young of the snow goose 
was of a light grey colour, slightly darker on the head and 
neck, while the young of Kdward’s blue winged-wavy,’ 
was much darker, of a bluish-grey, approaching to black on 
'See my little book entitled “ Expedition to the Polar Seas” 
(1846-7), published by Boone, London. 
* The term Wavy is a corruption of the Indian word “ whey-whey, 
an imitation of the call of the goose. 
