﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  231 
  

  

  distinctly 
  white; 
  lower 
  belly 
  and 
  crissum 
  white; 
  bill 
  and 
  feet 
  black; 
  iris 
  

   brown; 
  tail 
  usually 
  contains 
  18-20 
  feathers. 
  

  

  Length 
  35-37 
  inches; 
  extent 
  60-65; 
  wing 
  18-20; 
  tail 
  7; 
  tarsus 
  3-3.6; 
  

   bill 
  2; 
  weight 
  8-14 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Field 
  marks. 
  The 
  wild 
  goose 
  does 
  not 
  always 
  fly 
  in 
  a 
  wedge-shaped 
  

   flock 
  as 
  is 
  often 
  asserted, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  seen 
  in 
  flocks 
  and 
  their 
  large 
  

   size 
  combined 
  with 
  their 
  slow, 
  measured 
  wing 
  strokes, 
  and 
  the 
  long 
  black 
  

   neck 
  with 
  its 
  white 
  throat 
  patch, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  white 
  upper 
  and 
  under 
  tail 
  

   coverts, 
  serve 
  as 
  distinguishing 
  marks 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  Its 
  loud 
  trumpetlike 
  

   honks 
  which 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  heard 
  as 
  they 
  pass 
  over, 
  is 
  a 
  sound 
  well 
  

   known 
  to 
  all 
  gunners 
  and 
  country 
  people. 
  

  

  Distribution 
  and 
  migration. 
  The 
  wild 
  goose 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  best 
  

   known 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  waterfowl 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State. 
  Its 
  migrations 
  herald 
  the 
  

   approach 
  of 
  spring 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  winter 
  in 
  all 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  

   fairly 
  common 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter 
  along 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  coast 
  and 
  

   frequently 
  remains 
  through 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  as 
  it 
  did 
  on 
  

   Canandaigua 
  lake 
  in 
  the 
  winters 
  of 
  1905-6 
  and 
  1906-7. 
  It 
  is 
  fairly 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  as 
  a 
  transient 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  county 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  rarely 
  descends 
  

   from 
  its 
  migration 
  flight 
  for 
  any 
  extended 
  sojourn, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   large 
  bodies 
  of 
  water, 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  rest 
  without 
  being 
  molested. 
  Along 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  it 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  migration 
  time 
  from 
  the 
  loth 
  to 
  the 
  30th 
  of 
  

   March, 
  remaining 
  till 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  April, 
  sometimes 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  7th 
  of 
  

   May. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  noted 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  September 
  8th, 
  but 
  usually 
  

   makes 
  its 
  appearance 
  from 
  the 
  loth 
  to 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  October 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  

   numbers 
  pass 
  southward 
  from 
  the 
  ist 
  to 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  December. 
  In 
  the 
  

   interior 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  migratory 
  flight 
  often 
  begins 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  20th 
  

   or 
  24th 
  of 
  February, 
  but 
  usually 
  occurs 
  from 
  the 
  4th 
  to 
  the 
  i6th 
  of 
  March, 
  

   the 
  species 
  being 
  commonest 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  passing 
  north- 
  

   ward 
  from 
  April 
  20th 
  to 
  May 
  8th. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  it 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance 
  from 
  

   the 
  6th 
  to 
  the 
  13th 
  of 
  October 
  and 
  usually 
  disappears 
  from 
  the 
  15th 
  to 
  the 
  

   30th 
  of 
  November. 
  The 
  principal 
  summer 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  Canada 
  goose 
  is 
  

   from 
  Minnesota 
  to 
  Oregon 
  and 
  northward 
  to 
  the 
  Yukon 
  and 
  northern 
  

   Canada 
  to 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  trees. 
  It 
  breeds 
  in 
  northern 
  Ontario, 
  Quebec, 
  

   Newfoundland 
  and 
  casually 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Verinont. 
  No 
  breeding 
  

  

  