\g CIRCULAR 520, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



of eelgrass was accompanied by a drop in the numbers of brant, 

 and the birds were given additional protection. 



The snow goose (Chen hyperborea) (pi. 4, A), a little smaller than 

 the Canada goose, is white with black wing tips. It nests far north 

 and winters on the Middle Atlantic coast, being seen as a migrant 

 or straggler, however, both north and south of that section. The 

 main population of these birds passes the winter in the sand-dune 

 country along the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina, where they 

 arrive and from which they depart almost in a body. These geese 

 do not spend much time in or about the water, a habit that has 

 protected them from gunners. Their whole population is concen- 

 trated in a limited area, however, and they have consequently received 

 complete legal protection ever since the passage of the Migratory 

 Bird Treaty Act in 1918. Geese are grazers, cropping to a consider- 

 able extent the stems and leaves and also digging up the roots of 

 grasses and sedges. This has enabled the snow goose to stick to the 

 sand hills, where it finds food readily obtainable and enjoys a great 

 degree of safety from hunters. The Canada goose also grazes exten- 

 sively but spends much time on the water and consumes a great deal 

 of aquatic vegetation. 



A larger, long-necked, entirely white-feathered bird that may be 

 seen on the marshes is the whistling swan (Cygnus colum~bianus) . 

 It winters chiefly from New Jersey to North Carolina but in migra- 

 tion is occasionally seen northward on the way to and from its Arctic 

 breeding grounds. Most of the swan population of eastern North 

 America concentrates on the Middle Atlantic coast in winter, a habit 

 that would be fatal if hunting were permitted. The birds have ac- 

 cordingly been strictly protected since 1918. 



SHORE BIRDS 



About 40 kinds of shore birds, one of which, the willet, has already 

 been discussed (p. 9), occur on the Atlantic coast. Some of them 

 seem to resort chiefly to the beach, others to the marsh, but consider- 

 able interchange takes place. The shore birds include many species 

 of very similar appearance and can be distinguished only by rather 

 subtle characters. It is impracticable, therefore, to deal here with 

 any besides the most conspicuous or most common species. 



One of the most showy, certainly, is the oyster catcher (Haema- 

 topus palliatus), as big as a crow, with much black and white in the 

 plumage, and a large red bill. This bill is hard and strong, and the 

 bird actually feeds on oysters and other shellfish. Oyster catchers 

 are not numerous, do not range so far north as formerly, and are 

 always in need of protection. Fortunately the Cape Komain Migra- 

 tory Bird Eefuge, S. C, is so situated as to give them a harbor 

 both winter and summer. They are, moreover, protected by law at 

 all times. 



Plovers seem to have shorter necks and bigger heads than most 

 other shore birds and also have a full-breasted "chesty" appearance. 

 Wilson's plover (Pagolla loilsonia) is the largest of the "ring plov- 

 ers" of the coast — species that have a dark band across the upper 

 breast. It is grayish brown above and white below and about 8 

 inches long. It breeds from southern Virginia southward but is 

 seen as a casual visitor farther north. The black-bellied plover 



