16 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



Notes on the Birds of Long Island. 



By W. W. Wokthington. 



TA11 articles by Mr. Worthington are original 

 and written expressly for the Collectors' Monthly. 

 —Ed.] 



(76) 171a Anser albifrons gambeli. 

 Am. White-fronted Goo»e. 593a. 



Upper parts and sides bluish gray. Upper tail 

 coverts, forehead and under parts white, latter 

 blotched anteriorly with black, Upper wmg cov- 

 erts and tail tipped with white. Bill and leet red. 

 Iris hazel. Length 28% inches, 



Probably occurs as a rare straggler 

 during the migrations. I have never met 

 with it alive. Breeds in the Arctic region.-'. 

 Nest placed on the ground in the vicinity 

 of water, and made of grasses, lined with 

 feathers and down. Eggs four to seven, 

 about S% x 2 inches, yellowish green, 

 with darker ground tints. 



(77) 172 Bernicla canadensis. 

 Canada Goose. 594. 



Above brown, with paler edgings. Beneath 

 much lighter, becoming gray on the belly and 

 white on the under tail coverts. Upper tail cov- 

 erts also white. Bill, head and feet black. A 

 white patch on side of the head back of the eye. 

 Length 35 inches 



Abundant during the migrations, ar- 

 riving from their winter quarters, bound 

 north, as soon as winter is fairly broken 

 up, their appearance being taken as a 

 sure sign that spring is at hand. They 

 breed in Arctic countries and also in the 

 territories of some of the western states, 

 nesting on the ground or in trees, some- 

 times using abandoned nests of other 

 birds for the foundation of their own, re- 

 pairing it with sticks and lining it with 

 down from their breast, The eggs are 

 three to five in number, pale greenish yel- 

 low and about 3% x 2% inches. The 

 young are hatched and tenderly nour- 

 ished until full-fledged and grown, grad- 

 ually gathered into flocks. Then, along 

 the eastern coast in November when 



The sun shines bright on hill and vale, 

 The air is pure, the skj is clear; 



The wild geese swiftly southward sail, 

 For the broad Chesapeake they steer. 



. True Instinct 'tis that marks their course; 

 They ne'er get lost, though sometimes 

 stray, 

 As, with their "honking." loud and hoarse, 



In V-shaped flocks they wend their way 

 To a more genial southern clime, 



Far from their northern breeding-grounds, 

 On the shores ol Hudson Bay. 



They usually stop in the bays of Long- 

 Island, affording excellent shooting over 

 decoys, among which are most always two 

 or three of their living brethren, winged- 

 tipped and captured in some previous 

 migration, and used as the best possible 

 means of luring them to destruction. 

 (78) 172a Bernicla canadensis hutchinsi. 

 Hutchins' Goose 594a. 



Similar to the preceeding in coloration and 

 markings, but smaller in size. 



Of rare occurence during the migra- 

 tion. Although I have no data to prove 

 it, I distinctly remember of my uncle, Mr. 

 e! G. Eaynor, having wing-broken a 

 goose and had it alive for several weeks, 

 which could have been of no other than 

 the present specie. It was scarcely larger 

 than a brant— an exact miniature of the 

 Canada Goose. 



Breeds in Alaska, and the Arctic re- 

 gions. Nesting habits similar to the 

 preceeding. Eggs white; four or, five in 

 number, and measure about 3% x 2 in. 



-*. — 



On May 3, '91, in company with Mr. J. 

 Brown of San Marcos, late of Giddings, 

 started out for a da.v's collecting. After 

 we had proceeded a short distance we 

 came to a dense bottom. We heard the 

 sharp notes of a Fla, B. S. Hawk and af- 

 ter some trouble found it. It was situa- 

 ted in an ash tree about 45 ft. from the 

 ground. We took from this nest two 

 beautifully blotched specimens. They 

 measured"l.96 x 1.75 and 1.97 x 1.83. 



A little further we found in a, fine oak 

 tree, a nest containing 3 eggs, oue a dark 

 brown and the other two a light brown 

 color. We were attracted by hearing a 

 Broad-winced Hawk calling, some ways 

 off. We hastened there and found her 

 nest about 56 ft. up, containing two dull 

 white eggs. 



Would like to hear from some one else 

 on this species. Yours truly, 



G. W. Ekwin. 



