The Lesser Snow Goose 



existence? until they subsist, like the Christians of old, in some catacombs 

 of tainted ooze and reedy horror? Come now, let us make a truce with 

 the children of life, and share with them the good things which we plenti- 

 fully enjoy. There is happiness enough for all; and some of us there are 

 who cannot be happ\ r unless all are. 



No. 371 



Lesser Snow Goose 



A. 0. U. No. 169. Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus (Pallas). 



Synonym. — White Brant. 



Description. — Adult: Entire plumage, except the primaries and their coverts, 

 pure white; head and neck often heavily tinged with rusty; primaries blackish and 

 with dark shafts on exposed portions, grayish and with white shafts basally; primary 

 coverts gray with dark shafts. Bill stout, short, with widely gaping commisure, 

 showing black edges of mandibles; said to be purplish red in life, drying dull orange, 

 nail white; feet and legs (drying) orange-red. Immature: Head and neck pale gray; 

 back and wings, except quills, gray, varied by mesial dusky and marginal whitish, 

 notably on wing-coverts and tertiaries; remaining plumage white. Length about 

 635 (25.00); wing 406.4 (16.00); tail 152.4 (6.00); bill 50.8-54.6 (2.00-2.15); tarsus 

 76.2 (3.00); middle toe and claw 58.4 (2.30). 



Recognition Marks. — Brant size; pure white plumage with conspicuous black 

 primaries (hence, not difficult to determine on the wing). 



Nesting. — Does not breed in California. Nest: . On ground, of grass and moss 

 with copious lining of down. Eggs: 2 to 6; dull yellowish or creamy white. Av. 

 size 80.5 x 54 (3.17 x 2.13). Season: June. 



Range of Chen hyperboreus. — Arctic North America, south in winter to the 

 Southern States, Mexico, and Japan. 



Range of C. h. hyperboreus. — Western America and northeastern coast of Asia. 

 Breeds in the western portion of the American Arctic regions, west at least to the 

 mouth of the Mackenzie; occurs in summer in northeastern Siberia, but is not known 

 to breed there; winters chiefly in California, but also from British Columbia, southern 

 Colorado, and southern Illinois, south to Texas and Louisiana, Jalisco, northern Lower 

 California, and Japan. Specimens obtained in winter and during migrations from 

 further eastern points are, theoretically at least, intergrades with C. hyperboreus nivalis. 



Distribution in California. — Abundant winter resident in the Sacramento- 

 San Joaquin Valley, and on the western Santa Barbara Islands, especially Santa Rosa; 

 less common elsewhere south to San Diego and east to the Colorado River. 



Authorities. — Gambel {Chen hyperboreus), Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., ser. 2, 

 i., 1849, p. 225 (Calif.); Coues, Birds of the Northwest, 1874, p. 548 (syn., desc. habits, 

 foods, etc.); Tyler, Pac. Coast Avifauna, no. 9, 1913, p. 18 (San Joaquin Valley). 



WHITE is a color of ill omen in a bird's plumage. It should typify 

 purity; but it spells easy mark, instead, to the sportsman; and the sports- 



1845 



