76 



NORTH AMEBIC AN DXTCKS, GEESE, AND SWAN8. 



records show that the Canada goose is among the most variable of 

 birds in the time of its arrival. This is natural, since its migration 

 seems to depend almost wholly upon the presence of open water, and 

 this varies much with the seasons. The record at Fort Simpson cov- 

 ers thirteen years between 1881 and 1894, and the average date of 

 arrival is April 28, with extremes of fifteen days from April 23 to 

 May 8. The average variation — the "probable error" — in time of 

 arrival is 4.1 days, i. e., if the Canada goose is noted as arriving on a 

 certain date in any one year at that latitude the probability is that 

 this date is within 4. 1 days of the average date of arrival at that local- 

 ity. At Lac du Brochet Post, on Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan, the 

 following are the dates when the first Canada goose was seen: 



1874 May 5 



1875 May 11 



1876 May 8 



1877 Apr. 27 



1878.. , Apr. 19 



1879 .....Apr. 24 



1880. 

 1881. 

 1882. 

 1883. 

 1884. 



.May 5 

 .May 4 

 .May .3 

 .Apr. 25 

 .May 3 



1886 Apr. 23 



1887 May 3 



1888 May 7 



1889 Apr. 17 



1885 Apr. 29 



The average date of arrival is April 30, with extremes of twenty- 

 four days from April 17 to May 11. The average variation is 5.9 

 days. 



Eggs have been found in northern Indiana, southern Minnesota, 

 and central Wyoming the first week in May, and sometimes even in 

 April, and at Malheur Lake, Oregon, April 24. An early set was 

 found May 4 near the Saskatchewan, and one May 11 near the Red 

 Deer River, Alberta, but usually nesting in this district begins about 

 the middle of May, and at the northern limit of the range not much 

 before the middle of June. 



Dales of arrival in the fall of the Canada goose. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 years' 

 record. 



Average 



date of 



first one 



seen. 



Earliest date 



of first one 



seen. 



Prince Edward Island 



Scotch- Lake, New Brunswick. 



Central Massachusetts 



Block Island, Rhode Island... 

 Montauk Point, Long Island.. 



Kenovo, Pa , 



Central Pennsylvania 



Central New.Jersey 



Alexandria, Va ;: 



Atlantic, N. C 



Anderson, S. C 



Chipley, Fla 



Aweme, Manitoba 



Central South Dakota 



Northern Nebraska 



Onaga, Kans 



Grapevine, Tex 



Central Wisconsin 



Central Iowa 



Keokuk, Iowa 



Wauseon, Ohio 



Central Indiana...: 



Northern Illinois 



Central Missouri 



Helena, Ark 



Southern Mississippi 



Aug. 28 



Oct. 23 



Oct. 11 



Oct. 21 



Oct. 20 



Oct. 24 



Oct. 22 



Oct. 18 



Oct. 20 



Aug. 14 



Sept. 23 



Oct. 7 



Oct. 18 



Oct. 9 



Oct. 12 



Oct. 14 



Oct. 8 



Oct. 20 



Oct. 19 



Oct. 13 



Oct. 4 



Oct. 4 



Nov. 12 



Aug. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Aug. 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Nov. 



22. 1889 

 21, 1902 



4.1889 



27. 1898 

 30, 1888 



7,1904 



15.1894 « 

 23, 1897 



5,1888 



20. 1899 

 10,1902 



8, 1902 



8. 1901 



20. 1890 

 7,1888 

 3,1894 



30, 1904 

 30, 1892 

 16, 1899 



27. 1895 

 10, 1887 



6. 1902 

 28, 1895 

 23,1900 

 26,1896 



5,1902 



