ANSERES. 239 



and 16;!^ inches in length of wing from carpal joint, and 2 inches in 

 length of bill from frontal feathers. On the other hand, two ex- 

 amples in the Blakiston collection, from the same locality, measure 

 17 and 17| inches in length of wing (Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, p. 32), 

 and might almost be regarded as belonging to the larger race. The 

 example procured by the Siebold Expedition was doubtless obtained 

 at Nagasaki (Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves,p. 125). 

 The Snow-Geese breed in Arctic America, and possibly in Eastern 

 Siberia, and occasionally appear in winter on the British coasts. 



227. ANSER HUTCHINSI. 

 (HUTCHINS' BERNACLE GOOSE.) 



Anser hitchinsii, Swainson and Richardson, Faun. Bor.-Amer. ii. p. 470 (1831). 



Hutchins' Bernacle Goose is a small dark race of the Canada 

 Goose, and is said to have fewer tail-feathers (14 to 16 instead of 

 18 to 20). Both races of the Canada Goose diflFer from the Bernacle 

 Goose, which visits the British Islands, in having the black on the 

 crown extending also over the forehead, but in not having the black 

 of the throat reaching the breast. 



Figures : Cassin, Birds of California &c, pi. 45 ; Baird, Brewer, 

 and Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer. ii. p. 458 (coloured woodcut 

 of head) . 



The occurrence of a species of Bernacle Goose in Japan was recorded 

 as long ago as 1840 (Temminck, Man. d^Orn. iv. p. 520) ; but 

 Captain Blakiston was probably the first to discover that the Japanese 

 bird was one of the races of the Canada Goose, and quite distinct 

 from the species of Bernacle Goose which winters on our coasts 

 (Blakiston and Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 212, no. 27). 



Hutchins' Bernacle Goose breeds on the Commander Islands 

 (Stejneger, Orn. Expl. Comm. Isl. and Kamtschatka, p. 148) and 

 on the Kuriles (Blakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. Soc. Japan, 1882, 

 p. 96). It is a winter visitor to the coasts of the Japanese Islands ; 

 Captain Blakiston sent me an example procured at Hakodadi in 

 November (Seebohm, Ibis, 1882, p. 369) ; and there is an example 

 in the Pryer collection from Kadsusa in Tokio Bay. 



The breeding-range of Hutchins' Bernacle Goose extends from the 

 Kurile Islands across Arctic America to Hudson's Bay. 



