CANADA GEESE (Branta canadensis 

 canadensis) are the most highly prized of all 

 water fowl. Great creatures, 3 feet or more 

 ill length, and with tender flesh and appetiz- 

 ing, they appeal to the gourmand; wary yet 

 coming to decoys, they furnish the greatest 

 sport for the hunter, and he also gets game 

 worth while when he brings one down. 



Canada Geese breed from the Northern 

 States north to the limit of trees and winter 

 chiefly in the southern half of the United 

 States. Northern hunters eagerly await the 

 loud honking of the first spring flock, whQe 

 southern ones just as enthusiastically wait 

 their return in late fall. It is a grand sight 

 to see the •wide V-shaped line of great birds 

 swiftly speed overhead, their large wings 

 strongly beating the air and from their 

 throats to hear the loud honking that sounds 

 so like a pack of fox hounds in fuU cry. 



HUTCHINS GOOSE (Branta canadensis 

 hutchinsi) . This is a slightly smaller variety 

 found chiefly in western United States, meas- 

 uring about 28 in. in length and the tail hav- 

 ing normally but 16 feathers, while that of 

 the last species has 18 or 20. It occasion- 

 ally occurs on the Atlantic coast. 



WHITE-CHEEKED GOOSE (Branta 

 canadensis occidentalis) . This species is 

 equal to the Canada Goose in size but is 

 slightly darker, especially on the under parts, 

 and the black on the throat often extends up to the chin, thus making two 

 white cheek patches instead of a single cravat extending from ear to ear. It 

 is found on the Pacific coast, breeding in the north and wintering south to 

 California. 



CACKLING GEESE (Branta canadensis minima) are quite small, measur- 

 ing but 2 feet in length. In appearance they are just like a dwarfed White- 

 cheeked Goose, only the tail normally contains but 14 or 16 feathers. They 

 are found chiefly west of the Rocky Mountains. Geese feed upon berries, 

 grasses and roots, which they gather in fields, along shore, or by " tipping " 

 in shallow water. They swim well, but do not dive. On land they walk 

 easily and gracefully compared with the walk of barnyard geese. 



CANADA GOOSE 

 CACKLING GOOSE 



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