﻿WHITE-BELLIED 
  BRANT. 
  79 
  

  

  Branta 
  bernicla 
  g-laucogastra 
  (Brehm). 
  White-bellied 
  Brant. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  dividing- 
  

   line 
  between 
  this 
  form 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  brant 
  (B. 
  nigricans). 
  It 
  is 
  

   known 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  breeds 
  on 
  the 
  Arctic 
  coast 
  of 
  America 
  east 
  about 
  

   to 
  longitude 
  125° 
  (Franklin 
  Bay), 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  reaches 
  its 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  home 
  by 
  migration 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  southwest, 
  and 
  not 
  from 
  

   the 
  south 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  Valley. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  brant 
  occurs 
  in 
  migration 
  on 
  Melville 
  Peninsula 
  and 
  passes 
  

   along 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Boothia 
  Peninsula, 
  longitude 
  92°. 
  There 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  record 
  of 
  brant 
  on 
  the 
  Arctic 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  mainland 
  

   between 
  Franklin 
  Bay^ 
  and 
  Boothia 
  Peninsula 
  — 
  nearl3 
  T 
  a 
  thousand 
  

   miles 
  — 
  and 
  yet 
  brant 
  of 
  some 
  form 
  are 
  common 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  islands 
  that 
  

   lie 
  between 
  these 
  two 
  longitudes 
  north 
  of 
  74° 
  latitude. 
  It 
  is 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  brant 
  swarming 
  in 
  Wellington 
  Channel, 
  directly 
  

   north 
  of 
  Boothia 
  Peninsula, 
  are 
  the 
  eastern 
  form. 
  Brant 
  were 
  seen 
  on 
  

   September 
  7, 
  1850, 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  Banks 
  Land, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  

   then 
  in 
  full 
  tide 
  of 
  fall 
  migration 
  they 
  were 
  undoubtedly 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  

   to 
  the 
  Arctic 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  mainland 
  and 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  form. 
  

   A 
  year 
  later, 
  August 
  19, 
  1851, 
  "vast 
  numbers" 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  island 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  gathering 
  for 
  their 
  

   migration. 
  These 
  also, 
  then, 
  were 
  probably 
  the 
  western 
  form, 
  and 
  

   they 
  bred 
  commonly 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  of 
  this 
  island. 
  Melville 
  

   Island 
  is 
  only 
  50 
  miles 
  from 
  Banks 
  Land, 
  and 
  hence 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  "brent 
  geese" 
  taken 
  by 
  Pany 
  on 
  this 
  latter 
  island 
  were 
  the 
  black 
  

   brant. 
  The 
  dates 
  of 
  migration 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  help 
  in 
  settling 
  this 
  question. 
  

   Brant 
  arrived 
  on 
  Melville 
  Island 
  June 
  6, 
  1820, 
  before 
  June 
  9, 
  1853, 
  

   and 
  were 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Banks 
  Land 
  soon 
  after 
  June 
  1, 
  

   1852, 
  or 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  date 
  they 
  arrived 
  in 
  1882-3, 
  at 
  Point 
  Bar- 
  

   row, 
  considerably 
  farther 
  south. 
  They 
  were 
  noted 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Wellington 
  Channel, 
  about 
  latitude 
  75°, 
  June 
  3, 
  1851, 
  June 
  2, 
  1853, 
  

   and 
  about 
  June 
  9, 
  1851. 
  Almost 
  directly 
  south 
  the 
  first 
  were 
  not 
  

   noted 
  on 
  Boothia 
  Peninsula, 
  latitude 
  70°, 
  until 
  June 
  12, 
  1830; 
  June 
  

   20, 
  1831; 
  and 
  June 
  8, 
  1859; 
  and 
  still 
  farther 
  south 
  on 
  Melville 
  Pen- 
  

   insula 
  not 
  until 
  June 
  11, 
  1822, 
  and 
  June 
  11, 
  1823. 
  While 
  on 
  the 
  

   west 
  coast 
  of 
  Greenland, 
  at 
  latitude 
  72°, 
  the 
  first 
  were 
  seen 
  Ma} 
  T 
  29, 
  

   1850, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  northern 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  above 
  latitude 
  

   82°, 
  near 
  the 
  northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  Greenland, 
  they 
  arrived 
  June 
  9, 
  

   1876; 
  June 
  3, 
  1882; 
  June 
  5, 
  1883. 
  

  

  The 
  eastern 
  brant 
  breeds 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Greenland 
  from 
  

   Frederikshaab, 
  latitude 
  62°, 
  northward 
  probably 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  land 
  extends, 
  

   certainly 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  of 
  Grinnell 
  Land, 
  latitude 
  82° 
  

   33'. 
  It 
  probably 
  breeds 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  north 
  of 
  latitude 
  71° 
  and 
  

   west 
  to 
  Wellington 
  Channel. 
  Breeding 
  records 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  district 
  

   4510— 
  No. 
  26—06 
  6 
  

  

  