238 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



County (Willett, 1912a, p. 28). Has been found in the interior on Klamath 

 Eiver near Beswick, Siskiyou County (Ferry, 1908, p. 39) ; and near Los Banos, 

 Merced County (specimen taken January 3, 1912, now in Mus. Vert. Zool.). 



The Black Sea Brant is notable for being the most maritime of all 

 the species of geese which visit California. It does not occur along 

 our whole seacoast, as do so many sea-faring birds, but restricts itself 

 to certain coastal bays, especially those north of San Francisco. It is 

 a wary species, difficult to shoot, it has peculiar habits, and in the 

 opinion of many persons its succulent flesh renders it the most desir- 

 able of all the geese for table use ; hence it has been extensively sought 

 after in past years, with the usual result that its numbers have been 

 greatly reduced. 



In earlier years the Black Sea Brant visited all of our large coastal 

 bays from the Oregon line south to San Diego, but more recently it has 

 been found in numbers only on Humboldt and Tomales bays. Its 

 close adherence to bay water's suggests that only in such situations 

 can it find the food materials which it likes best. This Brant is strictly 

 a winter visitant arriving in October and leaving in April. At San 

 Diego, Cooper (in Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1884, I, p. 473) saw 

 it first, in 1861, during October, and it left there by April 20 of the 

 following year. The same writer saw the species on the water outside 

 San Francisco Bay on April 24, 1863. Belding (MS) states that it 

 was last seen at San Diego, in 1884, on April 15, and in 1885, on 

 April 7. A few years ago a flock of about twenty-flve of these birds 

 was seen on San Francisco Bay near Redwood City — but this is the 

 only recent instance of occurrence on this bay of which we have 

 knowledge. A few stra^ggling individuals are found rarely on interior 

 bodies of water, as on Klamath River near Beswick, Siskiyou County, 

 and at Los Banos, Merced County. 



The Black Sea Brant is a small goose, resembling the Ross Snow 

 Goose in bulk. When at rest on the water it has a general blackish 

 appearance. The solidly black coloration of the fore part of the 

 body as well as of the bill and feet, and the white neck collar, are 

 noticeable features. From all the several varieties of "Canada" Geese 

 the Black Brant is best distinguished by the absence of white cheek 

 patches, and from the Canada and Hutchins geese by its size. Its 

 call-note, which has been described as a guttural croak, wah-ook or 

 gr-r-r-r, and its habit of flying in flocks abreast close to the water in 

 undulating lines, are both useful field characters. 



This Brant breeds along the extreme Arctic coast west of Hudson 

 Bay. The following meager nesting notes are the only ones available : 

 "It was seen breeding abundantly by Mr. MacFarlane near the 

 Arctic Ocean. Some of the nests were found on small islets in fresh- 



