Hutchins's Goose 167 



Adult Birds 



Head and neck black; chin and throat white, and coalesced with latter a white patch 

 on each side of head, ascending the cheek and terminating in more or less acute angle behind 

 ear-coverts. Frequently stretching along throat, a longitudinal black streak of varying 

 breadth, then dividing the white cheek-patches so that a separate white patch is formed on 

 each side of head, as, for example, in a specimen from the Aleutian Islands, described and 

 figured by Brandt * under the name of Anser [Bernicld) leucopareius? 



Back, upper wing-coverts, secondaries, tertiaries light brown, all feathers except on 

 back with lighter edgings. Primaries and tail-feathers black-brown, latter normally i6 ? 

 more seldom 14 in number, whereby this goose markedly and apparently constantly differs 

 from Leucoblepkaron canadensis, with 18 to 20 tail-feathers. Rump dark brown, upper and 

 under tail-coverts, which are far from reaching the tips of the tail-feathers, pure white. 

 Lower part of black neck (and mainly anteriorly) very light, almost white, and, in some 

 examples, a sharply defined white ring surrounding whole base of neck. Breast and belly 

 very light brown, gradually passing into white towards vent. Under-part of wings and 

 axillaries dark brown. Bill black ; legs and feet, with webs, dark leaden or almost black. 

 Iris dark brown. 



Plumage of other ages unknown. 



This short description, which has been verified in several specimens in the Zoological 

 Museum of the Imperial Academy of Science at St. Petersburg, and agrees with that of 

 American authors, I find rather unsatisfactory and even enigmatic, for the following reason. 

 The Canadian goose, the largest of this group, is divided by some American authorities 

 into four sub-species (varieties), each of which is apparently again subject to considerable 

 variations both in dimensions and colouring. 



The following are the four sub-species, with their dimensions and distribution :— 



1. Leucoblepkaron canadensis, regarded as the type of the species, and sometimes 

 attaining huge dimensions, possesses a very long bill, equal in length to the head, 3 and 

 varies slightly in the intensity of the dark colouring of the plumage ; it breeds in the 

 northern part of United States and in Canada, descending to winter in Mexico. 



Length .... . . . . 1041-1066 mm. ( = 41-42 in.). 



Wing . . . . . . . . 381-S33 mm. (= 15.60-21 in.). 



Culmen . , . . . . . 39.3 = 68.5 mm. (= 1.55-2.70 in.). 



Tarsus . . . . . . . . 62.2 = 93.9 mm - ( = 2-75-370 in.). 



Tail-feathers 18 to 20. 



Typical form without longitudinal black streak on neck. 



2. Leucoblepkaron canadensis hutchinsi, of much smaller dimensions than preceding. 

 Arctic and Subarctic North America, in winter throughout United States, mainly westward 

 of the Alleghanies ; north-east coast and adjacent islands of Siberia and Japan. 



(?) Colouring — as in my description, but sometimes as in typical Leucoblepkaron 

 canadensis. 



Length . ... . . . 655-863 mm. ( = 25-34 in.). 



Wing . . . . . . . . 373-449 mm. (= 14.75-17.75 in.). 



Culmen . . . . . . . . 30.5-48.2 mm. (= 1. 20-1. 90 in.). 



Tarsus , ., . . . . . . 57.1-81.2 mm. (=2.25-3.20 mm.). 



Tail-feathers 1 6, and more seldom 1 4. 



1 Descr. et hones Anim. Ross.-Nov,, Aves, i. p. 13, Tab. 2 (1836). 



2 Whether this difference is connected with sex or age, or characterises a certain race, remains so far entirely unexplained. 



3 But, apparently, length of bill is far from constant, i.e. is not always in proportion to the other measurements. 



