130 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



173a. White-bellied Brant. 



Branta bemicla gkmcogastra (Brehm.) 



Extreme northern part of North America. {A. 0. U. List, Ninth, 

 Supplement.) Dr. Coues. {The Auk, Vol. XIV, p. 207) gives what 

 appear to be satisfactory reasons for considering this a good sub- 

 species. It breeds "in arctic America, from the west coast of Green- 

 land as far as the Parry islands and north of lat. 73° as far as land 

 is known to extend." 



174. Black Brant. 



Branta nigricans (Lawr.) Bannister. i»70. 



About the middle of May this goose makes its appearance about 

 the mouth of the Yukon, and after a week or ten days passes north- 

 ward to breed. Its breeding ground lies considerably to the north, 

 for during the cruise of the Corwin, in the summer of 1881, we first 

 met it in the vicinity of Point Barrow, where the Eskimos brought 

 many of them on board. (Nelson.) About the middle of May a 

 great stream of these birds pours northward between St. Michael 

 island and Stewart island. Few are seen in the fall as they then 

 pass through the interior going south. (Turner.) This bird appears 

 at the end of the main spring migration of the water-fowl, but not in 

 considerable numbers. A few remain to breed and are seen fljdng 

 about the tundra during June. After the middle of August they 

 begin to fly across the isthmus of Pergmiak coming west along the 

 shore of Elson bay, crossing to the ocean and turning southward 

 along the coast. (Murdoch). An abundant winter resident along 

 the coasts of Vancouver island and British Columbia. (Fannin.) 

 Abundant at Douglas, B.C. Saw about 300 April 20th, 1906, on 

 the flat when the tide was out. All had disappeared by May ist. 

 (Spreadhorough. ) 



Breeding Notes. — ^The nest of this bird is placed in rather 

 marshy ground and is a simple depression, lined with down with 

 which the eggs are completely covered when the bird leaves the 

 nest. They sometimes begin to sit on four eggs and sometimes 

 lay as many as six. (Murdoch.) 



