﻿82 
  NORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  GEESE, 
  AND 
  SWANS. 
  

  

  Branta 
  leucopsis 
  (Bechst.). 
  Barnacle 
  Goose. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  inhabits 
  the 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  World, 
  and 
  in 
  

   migration 
  reaches 
  Greenland, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  repeatedly 
  on 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  around 
  Scoresby 
  Sound, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  times 
  on 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  side 
  at 
  Julianshaab 
  and 
  Fiskernces. 
  

  

  The 
  barnacle 
  goose 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  several 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   and 
  though 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  may 
  have 
  escaped 
  from 
  captivity, 
  it 
  is 
  

   not 
  probable 
  that 
  all 
  are 
  escapes. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  recorded 
  as 
  taken 
  at 
  

   Currituck 
  Sound, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  October 
  31, 
  1870; 
  near 
  Jamaica 
  Bay, 
  

   Long 
  Island, 
  about 
  October 
  20, 
  1876; 
  North 
  Chatham, 
  Mass., 
  Novem- 
  

   ber 
  1, 
  1885; 
  Marshfield, 
  Vt. 
  ; 
  Montreal, 
  Canada; 
  Okak, 
  Labrador; 
  

   Racine, 
  Wis., 
  December, 
  1850; 
  and 
  one 
  at 
  James 
  Bay, 
  near 
  Rupert 
  

   House. 
  

  

  Pbilacte 
  canaglca 
  (Sevast. 
  ). 
  Emperor 
  Goose. 
  

  

  Breeding 
  range. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  Arctic 
  species, 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  restricted 
  

   range 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Bering 
  Sea. 
  It 
  breeds 
  along 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  coast 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Kuskokwim 
  River 
  north 
  to 
  Cape 
  Espenberg 
  

   and 
  the 
  southern 
  shore 
  of 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound. 
  The 
  principal 
  breeding 
  

   ground 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Yukon 
  River, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  pass 
  west 
  to 
  

   St. 
  Lawrence 
  Island 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  coast, 
  and 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  Chuk- 
  

   chi 
  Peninsula 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  East 
  Cape. 
  

  

  Winter 
  range. 
  — 
  The 
  Aleutian 
  chain 
  is 
  the 
  main 
  winter 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  

   species, 
  outside 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  found 
  west 
  to 
  the 
  Near 
  and 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mander 
  Islands 
  and 
  east 
  to 
  Bristol 
  Bay 
  and 
  Sitka. 
  Stragglers 
  wander 
  

   south 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  twice 
  on 
  Vancouver 
  Island 
  and 
  three 
  times 
  

   in 
  California 
  — 
  Eureka, 
  winter 
  of 
  1884; 
  Gridley, 
  November 
  1, 
  1895; 
  San 
  

   Francisco 
  market, 
  October 
  8, 
  1900. 
  Four 
  were 
  taken 
  and 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  

   more 
  noted, 
  evidently 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  straggling 
  flock, 
  December 
  12, 
  

   1902, 
  in 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Spring 
  migration. 
  — 
  At 
  the 
  extreme 
  southwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  

   the 
  northward 
  movement 
  begins 
  late 
  in 
  March. 
  The 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   April 
  the 
  emperor 
  goose 
  moves 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  to 
  the 
  northern 
  

   shores 
  of 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  Islands 
  and 
  remains 
  there 
  for 
  several 
  weeks. 
  

   As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  melting 
  snows 
  expose 
  mud 
  flats 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Norton 
  

   Sound 
  the 
  birds 
  make 
  the 
  ocean 
  flight 
  to 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds, 
  

   where 
  they 
  arrive 
  from 
  May 
  15 
  to 
  25. 
  Eggs 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  June 
  5, 
  

   and 
  young 
  birds 
  late 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  Fall 
  migration. 
  — 
  The 
  geese 
  regain 
  their 
  feathers 
  after 
  the 
  summer 
  

   molt 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  at 
  once 
  start 
  south. 
  The 
  

   earliest 
  date 
  on 
  the 
  Aleutians 
  is 
  August 
  31. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   remain 
  at 
  the 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  until 
  October 
  and 
  then 
  are 
  forced 
  

   slowly 
  south 
  by 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  winter, 
  scarcely 
  reaching 
  the 
  south- 
  

   western 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  winter 
  range 
  before 
  early 
  December. 
  

  

  