196 ANATIDiE. 



been met with in a wild state in parts of England — a fact 

 one can only account for on the supposition either of 

 its having crossed the Atlantic, or escaped from owners 

 in this country. I have myself known an instance in 

 which half-a-dozen, led away by the passing overhead 

 of a flock of common Brent geese, deserted a farm where 

 they had been long domesticated. 



The Brent {Bernicla brenta), although common round 

 Hudson's Bay, and migrating annually, like its congeners, 

 to the Southern States, performs the whole journey far 

 out seaward, and is seldom seen in Canada. 



The common Wild-duck, or Mallard (Anas boschus), 

 is found during the summer and autumn in nearly every 

 district of Canada, and being precisely similar to that of 

 Europe, is of course too familiar to need description. 



Though with us most abundant in winter, flocking in 

 from colder and more northern regions, in Canada they 

 are similarly compelled by the intense cold and the im- 

 possibility of obtaining food to migrate further southj and 

 wend their way, on the first sign of coming snow, to 

 the Southern States, where they remain throughout the 

 winter, the majority resorting to the submerged rice 

 fields, in which they are said to find abundant food. 

 The vast numbers thus on the move in all quarters of 

 the country aff'ord excellent sport in the months of 

 October and November. 



