Family ANATID^. Genus Bernicla. 



Subfamily Anserinm. 



WHITE-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE. 



BERNICLA BRENTA GLAUCOGASTER— (^^^^ot). 



Geographical Distribution. — British .• Winter visitor to 

 the coasts of the British Islands, where its distribution is not 

 known to differ from that of the typical Brent Goose, although it 

 is much rarer. Intermediate forms between the two races occur 

 on our coasts, and are perhaps more numerous than the thorough- 

 bred white-bellied race. Foreign : Northern Nearctic region ; 

 more southerly in winter. Breeds on the coasts and islands 

 north of lat. 72°, from the Arctic Archipelago to the east coasts 

 of Baffin Bay and north to the hmits of known land. Captain 

 Feilden, during the Nares Arctic expedition, found this Goose 

 breeding in lat. 82^^°, near Knot Harbour. It winters on the 

 Atlantic seaboard of North America as far south as Texas, the 

 birds appearing on our coasts in winter probably crossing the 

 North Pole and reaching our shores by way of Spitzbergen and 

 Franz Josef Land. 



Allied Forms, — Bemida brenta, the typical race of Brent 

 Goose, a British species already dealt with in the preceding 

 chapter. B. nigricans, the American representative of that species, 

 and previously alluded to (see p. 345). 



Time during which the White-bellied Brent Goose 



may be taken. — August ist to March ist. 



Habits. — It is not known that the habits of the White-bellied 

 Brent Goose differ in any important respect from those of the 

 typical form. It is just as northerly in its distribution during 

 summer, and comes south in winter to the coasts of temperate 



