342 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 



As to nesting, the following records are of interest: "Found [May 

 28, 1771, near Cape Charles] the trap which was lost on Saturday 

 last, with a good, fat goose in it, full of hard eggs." On July 10, 1771, 

 he found a nest of this species with seven eggs in it at Mary Harbor 

 off St. Lewis Inlet. On May 30, 1776, in Sandwich Bay he found 

 two eggs. On June 25, 1774, he caught five young but a few days 

 old. On July 24, 1774, at Cutter Harbor he caught a young goose 

 alive, and saw three broods. He speaks of two geese in full molt 

 being killed on July 20, 1775. At Sandwich Bay on July 8, 1776, 

 he records: "The geese are beginning to moult," and again on July 

 25, 1776: "In the course of our walk to Dove Point, we gathered 

 above a hundred excellent goose quills, which were lately shed, this 

 being the moulting season." On August 26, 1777, he says: "Great 

 numbers of geese have appeared lately, as they are getting the use of 

 their wings very fast now." On November 15, 1775, he saw several 

 geese and on November 21, 1774. On November 25, 1777, he says: 

 "I had an opportunity of shooting at a goose today, although it is 

 very late in the year for those birds to be seen." 



Over half a century later Audubon found the Canada Goose still 

 a common summer resident in southern Labrador, breeding in every 

 suitable marshy place. He speaks of seeing several hundred young 

 geese at Great Mecattina killed before they were able to fly and salted 

 for winter use. Their gizzards contained fir leaves. In 1860, Coues 

 did not see any until the second week in August, when several small 

 flocks appeared flying southward. Stearns ('83, p. 13) observed it 

 only as a migrant. Frazar ('87, p. 20) found none breeding in southern 

 Labrador, but heard that one or two pairs bred on a large island off 

 Wolf Bay. Low noted it at Mistassini on May 2d. Weiz ('66, p. 

 268) records that it breeds at Okkak. Bigelow ('02, p. 28) says it is 

 abundant in the spring and common in fall after August 1st. Palmer 

 ('90, p. 259) records: "A small flock was seen flying southward on 

 August 11 at Mingan." Packard states it breeds along Hudson 

 Strait near the mouth of the George River. Low says it breeds in 

 the marshes throughout the northern interior and he gives the average 

 date of arrival for the Northwest River as May 10th. Macoun says 

 that two eggs were taken on Whale River, Ungava Bay, on June 11, 

 1896. On July 27, 1905, Wallace came upon two adult and three 

 young geese near Lake Nippisish. The "old ones had just passed 

 through molting, and their new wing feathers were not long enough 



