248 FEATHERED GAME 
white, also the edge of the wing. The under 
parts are covered with a thick coat of black 
down beneath the feathers as in the ducks. 
The bill is whitish, marked at the end by a 
dull, reddish patch. Frontal shield chestnut. 
Legs and feet greenish. Iris bright red. 
Length from fourteen to sixteen inches; extent 
from twenty-three to twenty-six inches. 
THE GREATER SNOW GOOSE. 
(Chen hyperborea nivalis.) 
This species is one of general distribution in 
North America, though in comparison with the 
numbers found in the West the Snow Goose is 
of rare occurrence in New England, and here, 
as in the rest of the Atlantic States, it is entirely 
maritime. These birds breed in the far north, 
mostly on the Arctic shores of the continent and 
on the almost unknown islands beyond, and their 
only visits to New England are made during 
the migrations. Even then they stay scarcely 
longer than is necessary to rest and lay in a 
stock of provisions for another flight. They ar- 
rive on their journeying to the north a few days 
later than does the Canada goose and commence 
