544 The Water-fowl Family 



so rare it may be an abnormal specimen. Neither 

 of these is common, and one might see geese all 

 winter without seeing one of these kinds. 



The same may be said of the white-fronted goose. 

 I have seen some of them little over half size, but 

 they are so rare that one might hunt all winter 

 without suspecting the existence of one. 



THE SALT-WATER GOOSE OR BLACK BRANT 



All the geese so far mentioned are lovers of the 

 plain and its fresh-water ponds. They are grass 

 and grain eaters and love the water mainly as a 

 place of rest. Hence they have little to do with 

 the salt water, though in travelling they often swing 

 out to sea. But there is one of the family that 

 loves the sounding brine so well he will have 

 almost nothing to do with the shore. Even on 

 the beach itself he will not set his chary foot if it 

 is dry, and rarely even when it is still wet from the 

 receding tide. This is the black brant (bernicula 

 nigricans), — not the brant of the Atlantic Coast, 

 which is of much the same general coloring. The 

 latter is not found on this coast, while bernicula 

 nigricans is almost wholly wanting on the Atlantic. 

 It is the most gamy of all our water-fowl and 

 generally the finest flavored, the slight marine 

 flavor being like the oyster instead of fishy. This 

 brant seems well aware of the esteem in which he 

 is held and is very shy in his southern visits to 



