NEWTON ON BIRDS IN GREENLAND. 113 



scribed. It may possibly happen that the Bernacle-Goose of 

 the New World hitherto attributed to B. lettcopsis is distinct. 



{61.) Bernicla canadensis ? Canada Goose. 



A specimen, supposed to be from Greenland, in the Museum 

 of Copenhagen, has been doubtfully assigned to this species, 

 which is perhaps the biggest Goose known. It may possibly, 

 however, be the B. hutchinsi^ which is said to be distinguish- 

 able from the true B. canadensis by the possession of sixteen 

 instead of eighteen tail-feathers. But the American Geese 

 of this form have not as yet been clearly differentiated, and it 

 seems impossible to furnish a true diagnosis of the supposed 

 species which have received the name of B. leucopareia and 

 B. leucolcema, 



62, Chen hyperboreus. Snow-Goose. 



A few young birds only have been seen, and these more fre- 

 quently in the Northern Inspectorate than in the Southern. Is 

 found also on the west coast of Davis Strait. Probably breeds in 

 the far north, but a doubt may perhaps be entertained whether the 

 examples killed in Greenland belong to the true C. hyperboreus 

 or to C. albatus (if these be really distinct), which is said to have 

 occurred in Ireland. 



63. Anser gambeli. American White-fronted Goose. " Nerd- 



lernak." 

 Not rare in fresh water between lat. 6Q^ and 68° 30', and also 

 observed by the German Expedition on the east coast. Though the 

 White-fronted Goose of Greenland has been generally assigned 

 to the European form. A, albifrons, it would seem to belong 

 rather to the larger American A. gambeli ; but the difference 

 between the two appears to be that of size only. The true A. 

 albifrons is a regular visitant to Iceland, and therefore the speci- 

 men obtained by Dr. Copeland on the East Coast may well 

 belong to that form, though it does not follow that the birds which 

 frequent the west coast are of the same form. 



(62.) Cygnus ferus ? Wild Swan. " Kuksuk." 



The Swan which occurs occasionally in Greenland has 

 been generally referred to the European species {C. ferus), 

 but that which was observed at Igloolik, on Parry's Second 

 Voyage, and is said to breed on the Parry Islands (though not 

 numerously), seems more likely to be one of the American 

 species, C. buccinator or C. americanus. Hence a reasonable 

 doubt may exist as to which of the three the Greenland 

 "examples are. 



From the foregoing list it will be seen that, while sixty-two of 

 the birds therein enumerated are nothing but stragglers to Green- 

 land, the number of those which may be called denizens of the 

 country cannot be raised above sixty-three, to reach which we 

 must even, in some cases, stretch a point. That Greenland, so 

 far as ita birds are concerned, belongs to the Nearctic Region has 

 36122. H 



