OF THE UTIDSON's BAT TERHITORT. 



137 



First let me notice that magnificent bird the Canada goose (Anser 

 canadensis), probably one of the finest of its kind in the world. 

 This is the earliest arrival of the waterfowl migrants in spring, and 

 makes its appearance at Moose with extreme regularity on the 

 23rd of April, St. Greorge's day. So much is this the case that, 

 during the ten years of my residence there, we had on every St. 

 G-eorge's day a goose for our mess dinner, first seen and shot 

 on that day, and this I learnt from older inhabitants had been 

 the case for many previous years. I may add that this bird 

 arrives with equal punctuality at York Factory in lat. 57° N., 

 450 miles further north, but a week later. 



The Cree Indians, both at Moose and York Factory, assert 

 positively that a small brown bird uses this goose as a convenient 

 means of transport to the north, and that they have been often 

 seen flying oflf when their aerial conveyance was either shot or 

 shot at. The little passenger has been pointed out to me, but I 

 have forgotten its name, and it certainly makes its appearance on 

 the shores of Hudson's Bay at the same date as this goose, which, 

 by the way, is the only kind that is said to carry passengers *. 

 The natives of the McKenzie Kiver, more than 1000 miles to 

 the north-west, tell the same story. From my observation I am 

 led to believe that there is another species of the Canada goose, 

 much larger, but less numerous t. The male of this larger bird 

 is distinguished by a ruddy-brown colour of plumage oti the 

 breast, by the greater loudness and sonorousness of its call, 

 and by its much greater size, so that a difi'erence is made in 

 the quantity served out as rations to the men. The line of 

 flight is also diff"erent, as they generally pass by Eupert's Eiver 

 about 100 miles east of Moose, but a few are sometimes to be 



* Since this paper was read, an article by J. E. Ilarting, on " Small birds 

 assisted on their migrations by larger ones," has appeared in the Natural 

 History columns of ' The Field ' of March 31st, 1888, in which will be found 

 much additional information on the subject. — J. R. 



t Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway in their ' Water Birds of North America ' 

 recognize two species of Canada Goose — a large species with 18 to 20 tail-feathers, 

 and a smaller one with 13 to 16 tail-feathers. Each of these supposed species 

 they subdivide into two races, a grey and a brown one. Dr. Elliott Coues, 

 in his ' Key to North- American Birds ' (2nd ed. 1884, p. 689), remarks " there 

 seems little probability of establishing good characters for more than one 

 species of the canadensis group, with probably four varieties : — (1) large, no 

 collar (702, canadensis) ; (2) small, no collar (704, hutchinsi) ; (3) large, 

 collared (702 a, occipitalis) ; (4) small, collared (703, Icucopareia).'' The two 

 larger ones both have 18 tail-foathors ; the two smaller ones 16 only. — Ed. 



