THE CANADA GOOSE 



{Branta canadensis.) 



The range of the Canada Geese covers 

 temperate North America. They breed 

 in the northern United States and in the 

 southern portions of the British Posses- 

 sions, Canada, Newfoundland, Labrador, 

 and to some extent in the vicinity of 

 Hudson Bay. They are well known and 

 characteristic birds and as they winter 

 as far south as Mexico, they migrate 

 northward in the spring and southward 

 in the fall in flocks which are usually 

 large and noisy. The migration of very 

 few birds attracts more attention than 

 that of these birds. Mr. Chapman has 

 said: "Ornithologists talk of 'waves' 

 and 'flights' of migrants passing in the 

 night, but the biannual pilgrimage of the 

 Canada Goose appeals to us all with the 

 directness of a personal experience. We 

 see the living wedge o£ long-necked birds 

 passing high overhead; the unbroken 

 sound-waves bring the sonorous 'honks,' 

 with unexpected distinctness to our ears ; 

 and we receive an impressive lesson in 

 the migration of birds. They are em- 

 barked on a journey of several thousand 

 miles, but they come and go as surely 

 as though they carried chart and com- 

 pass." In their migrations, the Canada 

 Geese or Common Wild Geese, as they 

 are quite generally called, do not follow 

 the courses of streams but fly over for- 

 ests, fields and even towns. The flocks 

 are led by a gander, and they move north- 

 ward so early in the spring that the ex- 

 pression harbingers of spring seems ap- 

 propriate when applied to them. 



As a rule these birds build their nests 

 upon the ground, in hollows excavated 

 in the sand, on the grassy borders of 

 bodies of water, or on open prairies. 

 Usually a few sticks are laid around the 

 depression, and the nests are lined with 

 down. They have also been known to 

 nest on the stumps of trees and on rocky 

 ledges. Dr. Coues has reported that they 

 sometimes nest in trees in some portions 

 of the United States and that they take 



possession, in such instances, of the de- 

 serted nests of ospreys or other large 

 birds of prey. Dr. Merrill has published 

 the following statement, in the Bulletin 

 of the Nuttall Club : "When these geese 

 nest among the branches of a tree I do 

 not think they ever construct the nest 

 entirely themselves, but take possession 

 of a deserted nest of the fish hawk, and 

 repair it with twigs and a lining of down. 

 They have been seen to carry small 

 sticks to the nest for this purpose." 



The principal food of the Canada 

 Geese consists of sedges, the roots of 

 aquatic plants, grain to be found in stub- 

 bles, corn, wild berries, and leaf buds. 

 As breeding-places, the Canada Geese 

 select sites which furnish solitude and a 

 plenty of food. 'Tn winter the birds are 

 very regular about their meals, rising 

 punctually at daybreak and flying inland 

 to feed for two or three hours in the 

 grain fields. The middle of the day is 

 passed quietly upon the pond, dabbling 

 for water-cress and duck-weed, or enjoy- 

 ing one-legged slumbers of the sand- 

 bar." These words of Mr. Dawson well 

 describe the experiences of many hunters 

 who are familiar with the habits of the 

 Canada Geese. In the afternoon they 

 must seek food again, and they seem to 

 realize that this is a dangerous time of 

 day, and they are very watchful and 

 vigilant. 



It is said that the Canada Geese are 

 easily domesticated and will breed in 

 captivity. In the January Auk of 1885, 

 Mr. Dutcher relates the experience of 

 Captain Lane at Shinnecock Bay, Long 

 Island. He says : "Captain Lane has 

 had remarkable success in breeding Can- 

 ada Geese in confinement, and has kindly 

 furnished me with the following infor- 

 mation regarding their habits during the 

 breeding season : 'They make their nests 

 of dried grass, raising them about twelve 

 inches from the ground. They feather 

 them when they begin to lay. None lay 



