﻿LESSER 
  SNOW 
  GOOSE. 
  65 
  

  

  DISTRIBUTION 
  AND 
  MIGRATION 
  OF 
  GEESE. 
  

  

  Chen 
  liyperborea 
  (Pall.) 
  . 
  Lesser 
  Snow 
  Goose. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  Much 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  learned 
  of 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  

   the 
  summer 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  snow 
  geese. 
  "Vast 
  numbers" 
  of 
  this 
  goose 
  

   were 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  northwestern 
  portion 
  of 
  Banks 
  Land, 
  latitude 
  74°, 
  

   August 
  19, 
  1851, 
  as 
  though 
  they 
  had 
  come 
  from 
  more 
  northern 
  

   breeding 
  grounds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1851 
  and 
  1852 
  flocks 
  were 
  seen 
  

   passing 
  north 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  shores 
  of 
  this 
  island; 
  and 
  

   yet 
  no 
  snow 
  geese 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  expedi- 
  

   tions 
  that 
  have 
  summered 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  immediately 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  

   of 
  Banks 
  Land. 
  Snow 
  geese 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  breed 
  along 
  the 
  Arctic 
  

   coast 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  River 
  and 
  to 
  cross 
  to 
  Victoria 
  Land, 
  

   but 
  here 
  the 
  record 
  ends. 
  Wollaston 
  Land 
  and 
  Victoria 
  Land 
  form 
  

   an 
  enormous 
  island 
  whose 
  interior 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  visited 
  bj- 
  white 
  

   men. 
  Many 
  explorers 
  have 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  to 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ward, 
  but 
  no 
  one 
  has 
  reported 
  a 
  snow 
  goose 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  district 
  east 
  

   of 
  longitude 
  115° 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  latitude 
  70° 
  ; 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  

   single 
  flock 
  seen 
  near 
  Bellot 
  Strait 
  in 
  June, 
  1859, 
  and 
  three 
  wanderers 
  

   found 
  in 
  June, 
  1882, 
  at 
  Fort 
  Conger, 
  a 
  thousand 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   regular 
  range. 
  Ross 
  lived 
  for 
  three 
  years 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Boothia 
  

   Peninsula 
  without 
  seeing 
  a 
  snow 
  goose. 
  Parry 
  found 
  but 
  few 
  birds 
  

   and 
  only 
  one 
  nest 
  during 
  his 
  two 
  years' 
  sojourn 
  on 
  Melville 
  Peninsula, 
  

   and 
  Kumlein 
  reports 
  them 
  as 
  rare 
  visitants 
  at 
  Cumberland 
  Sound. 
  It 
  

   follows, 
  therefore, 
  by 
  exclusion, 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  snow 
  geese 
  

   breed 
  south 
  of 
  a 
  line 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  Southampton 
  Island 
  

   to 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  Melville 
  Island. 
  It 
  is 
  supposed 
  that 
  the 
  lesser 
  

   snow 
  goose 
  is 
  the 
  form 
  breeding 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  River, 
  

   and 
  east 
  to 
  about 
  longitude 
  115°. 
  It 
  follows, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  

   greater 
  snow 
  goose 
  is 
  restricted 
  in 
  its 
  breeding 
  range 
  to 
  the 
  district 
  

   from 
  Melville 
  Peninsula 
  to 
  Victoria 
  Land, 
  an 
  area 
  perhaps 
  half 
  as 
  

   large 
  as 
  Greenland, 
  as 
  yet 
  scarcely 
  visited 
  by 
  an 
  ornithologist. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  western 
  breeding 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  lesser 
  snow 
  goose 
  is 
  Richards 
  

   Island, 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  River; 
  

   thence 
  it 
  ranges 
  eastward 
  to 
  about 
  Coronation 
  Gulf. 
  There 
  seem 
  to 
  

   be 
  two 
  routes 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  snow 
  geese 
  reach 
  their 
  summer 
  home. 
  Thej^ 
  

   are 
  common 
  in 
  winter 
  in 
  California; 
  indeed, 
  this 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  

   principal 
  winter 
  abode. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  migration 
  some 
  continue 
  up 
  

   the 
  coast 
  to 
  Alaska, 
  but 
  all 
  observers 
  agree 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  common 
  

   in 
  Alaska 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  migration. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  is 
  an 
  abundant 
  migrant 
  along 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  at 
  Fort 
  Simpson, 
  just 
  

   south 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  grounds, 
  and 
  the 
  flocks 
  in 
  spring 
  fly 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  

   height 
  on 
  their 
  course 
  toward 
  the 
  north. 
  This 
  is 
  just 
  the 
  route 
  the 
  

   snow 
  geese 
  would 
  take 
  from 
  California 
  to 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  if 
  

  

  