ANSER HYPEEBOEEUS, SNOW GOOSE. 551 



iTsually by the end of the month. " They do not breed in the vicinity of 

 the Yukon, nor do they return in the fall by the way they came; they 

 only stop to feed and rest on the marshes, during the dusky twilight of 

 the night, and are off again with the early light of an arctic spring." 

 Sir John Eiohardson, in the Fauna Boreali- American a, after noting the 

 abundance of the birds, continues: "The eggs, of a yellowish-white 

 color, and regularly ovate form, are a little larger than those of an 

 Eider Duck, their length being three inches, and their greatest breadth 

 -two. The young fly in August, and by the middle of September all 

 have departed to the southward. The Snow Goose feeds on rushes, 

 insects, and in autumn on berries, particularly those of the Empetrum 

 nigrum. When well fed it is a very excellent bird, far superior to the 

 Canada Goose in juiciness and flavor. It is said the young do not attain 

 their full plumage before their fourth year, and until that period they 

 appear to keep in separate flocks. They are numerous at Albany Port, 

 in the southern part of Hudson's Bay, where the old birds are rarely 

 seen ; and on the other hand, the old birds in their migrations visit 

 York Factory in great abundance, but are seldom accompanied by the 

 young. The Snow Geese make their appearance in spring a few days 

 later than the Canada Geese, and pass in large flocks both through the 

 interior and on the coast." Examples of the eggs in the Smithsonian 

 agree exactly with the above description, biit show the usual variation 

 in size, some being noticeably less than three inches in length by over 

 two in breadth. 



In the Territory of Dakota I have observed the movements of the 

 Geese during both seasons. They reach the southern portions of the 

 Territory, as the vicinity of Fort Eandall, for example, very early in 

 April, or ev.en during the latter part of March, but may be observed 

 during the greater part of the former month. On the 1st of April I saw 

 many in flocks on a reedy lake near Eandall, and they were still flying 

 up to the 20th of that month. Higher up on the Missouri, in the vicinity 

 of Fort Stevenson, and also in the neighborhood of Fort Wadswortb, I 

 again saw numerous flocks during the first half of October, frequenting 

 the saline pools which occupy much of that portion of the Territory. 

 In this region they are universally known as White Brant. I can say 

 nothing from personal observation of the bird's movements along the 

 Atlantic coast. According to Dr. Turnbull they are rather rare in New 

 Jersey, arriving in November, and again late in February. 



I was lately shown, by Mr. Eidgway, a fine specimen of the Snow 

 Goose, which had voluntarily become semi-domesticated. He has given 

 the following account in the jSTaturalist : "On the 6th of October, 1873, 

 1 shot at Mount Carmel, Illinois, a fine adult male Anset- Jiyberboretis, 

 which had been living with a flock of tame Geese for nearly a year. 

 The bird had been crippled in the wing the preceding fall, but the 

 wound, which was merely in the muscles, soon healed, and it escaped 

 by flight. It flew about half a mile, and, observing a flock of tame 

 Geese upon the grassy 'commons' between the town and the river, 

 alighted among them. It continued to stay with them, going home 

 with the flock regularly every evening, to be fed and inclosed in the 

 barn-yard. My attention was attracted to this bird by its owner, Mr. 

 Thomas Hoskinson, from whom I got the above facts, and who kindly 

 told me that if I would shoot the bird he was willing to ha^e it sacrificed 

 to science. Accordingly, I repaired to the 'commons,' and found the 

 flock at a locality designated. After some little search the ' W^hite 

 Brant' was discovered, being distinguished by its black quill-featbers, 

 rather smaller size, shorter neck, black instead of bluish eyes, and the 



