THE GREATER SNOW GOOSE 249 
their southern movements before the larger spe- 
cies. 
Few New England gunners have any per- 
sonal acquaintance with this bird, but in the 
West, on the plains, in the marshes and along 
the Pacific coast they are very abundant during 
the flight seasons. Their large flocks seen at 
a distance on the brown grass look like the re- 
mains of some great snow drift not yet con- 
quered by the sun. In its eastern habitat it 
passes the winter months in the South Atlantic 
and Gulf States, and on its western range it 
winters in Texas and on the coast of Southern 
California in great numbers. On the Atlantic 
coast line they become much more abundant 
southward, where practically all the Snow 
Goose population of the eastern half of the con- 
tinent congregates for the cold weather. 
Its plumage is very striking—for the most 
part of snowy whiteness, with a speckling of 
rusty brown on the head, darkest at the base of 
the bill and gradually fading into the white of 
the neck. Primaries blackish; eyes brown; feet 
dull purplish red with black nails. The bill 
very stout, deep and rather narrow, pale pur- 
plish with white nail. In weight the Snow 
