THE BRENT GOOSE. 145 
ever, to come southward continually by successive partial 
migrations, until the freezing of the feeding-grounds 
compel it to march southwardly. 
The food of the Brant is principally the eel-grass, Zos- 
tera Marina, wherever that favorite dainty of all the 
aquatic tribes is to be found in plenty, and a broad-leaved, 
bright green marine plant, called by the country people 
sea-cabbage, which adheres to the stones on most of our 
beaches. After these it never dives—although it is 
remarkable that when wing-tipped it is the most dexter- 
ous of the family, often going a hundred yards or upward 
under water, and being therefore regarded as almost 
impossible to kill,if not shot dead outright. At low wa- 
ter it wades about incessantly, tearing up its favorite 
vegetables by the roots, but neglecting to eat them until 
they are floated away with the rising tide, when it does 
not take wing, as most wild-fowl, but floats away idly in 
long lines with its companions, in pursuit of its now 
floating dainty, and fares sumptuously on the proceeds 
of its previous industry. They are not unpugnacious 
birds, being often seen fighting among themselves, and 
beating the ducks away from their feeding-grounds ; their 
ery is a hoarse, gabbling, honking sound, very different, 
however, from the honk of the Wild-Goose, and by far 
more difficult to imitate, and is said closely to resemble,, 
when several hundreds are screaming together, the cho- 
rus of a pack of hounds in full cry. 
On their return from the south, with renovated powers, 
og 
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