Goose-shooting 229 



having but one or two black spots ; in others, the black pre- 

 dominates ; upper and under tail-coverts, white ; tail, dark 

 brown, bordered with white ; bill, yellowish white ; feet, yellow ; 

 iris, brown. 



Young — Head and neck, dark brown ; under parts, brownish gray 

 without the black marking. 



Downy young — Above, olive-green; below, greenish yellow. 



Measurements — Length, 28 inches; wings, 15.25 inches; tarsus, 

 2.60 to 3.20 inches ; culmen, 1.80 to 2.30 inches. 



Eggs — Five to seven in number, of a dull white color, and measure 

 3 by 2 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds in western Greenland north to 72°, on the coast 

 and islands of the Arctic west to Bering Strait and northeastern 

 Siberia, and on the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea to the lower 

 Yukon, and is said to breed on the coast of British Columbia 

 south to Vancouver Island. Winters on the Atlantic Coast 

 rarely, from New Jersey and North Carolina to Florida and 

 Cuba ; on the coast of Louisiana and Texas, south into Mexico, 

 and rarely north to Illinois and possibly Ohio ; in Arizona, and 

 on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Lower California 

 and Mexico. Abundant on the Pacific Coast in migration ; tol- 

 erably common in the western Mississippi Valley, and rare east 

 to the Atlantic Coast, where it occurs irregularly as far north as 

 northeastern Labrador. Occurs also in Japan and Hawaii. 



Mr. MacFarlane found this species breeding 

 abundantly on the Arctic Coast and in the islands 

 of the Arctic Sea. The nest is composed of 

 grasses, down, and feathers, situated frequently in 

 wooded districts in the vicinity of fresh-water lakes. 

 The breeding-ground is on the Anderson River, 

 the shores of Bering Straits, and the Commander 

 Islands. Incubation is established early in July, 

 during which time the birds spend much of their 

 time on land, feeding on berries and various 



