138 



DR. J. RAE ON THE BIRDS AND MAMMALS 



obtained at the latter place, which afforded me an opportunity of 

 comparing them with the more common or smaller kind. This 

 Anser canadensis (major?), instead of being seen feeding in the 

 marshes as the others do in autumn, chiefly frequents the higher 

 and more rocky grounds on the eastern shores of James's Bay, 

 where its principal food consists of berries of various kinds. 



By far the most numerous of the goose tribe that visit the 

 Moose marshes in the autumn are the snow goose, or white- 

 wavy {Anser hyperboreus), and the blue-winged goose of 

 Edwards {Anser ccerulescens) . These birds resemble each other 

 very much in size, call, and form, but not in colour ; and as 

 they often feed in proximity, the blue goose was for a long 

 time supposed to be merely the. young of the snow goose; an 

 erroneous opinion, which I endeavoured to correct in a little 

 book published in 1850 by Boone, entitled ' Expedition to the 

 Shores of the Polar Sea 1846-47.' * 



These snow and blue-winged geese have a peculiarity I have 

 never noticed in any other species. Previous to taking their 

 southern flight from Hudson's Bay some time in October, 

 they remain for several days almost constantly on the open sea, 

 washing themselves, taking sudden and rapid flights, apparently 

 having a " happy time," but they are never seen feeding. They 

 are at this time very fat, and when shot, their stomachs and 

 intestines are found to be entirely empty, resembling in this 

 respect salmon, I am told, prior to, and in ^preparation for, their 

 hard work in ascending rivers to their spawning-beds. After 

 this period of fasting, ablution, and exercise has been gone 

 through, the birds are evidently ready to start on their flight 

 of some hundreds of miles. On the first favourable opportunity, 

 which means a northerly wind, they take wing in batches of 

 fifty or more, circling round until they attain a safe altitude, 

 and then bear away on a true southerly course, never resting 

 until they reach winter-quarters, on the shores or swamps of the 

 Southern States t. 



* The specific distinctness of these two geese is generally admitted by modern 

 ornithologists. — En. 



t I may mention that 45 years ago the blue-winged and white-wavy geese 

 visited Moose in about equal numbers, as they still do ; whereas at Albany, 100 

 miles to the north, there were great numbers of the white bird and scarcely a 

 blue-wing to be seen. Now the two kinds are about equally abundant there, 

 whilst at Rupert's Eiver, 100 miles east of Moose, now, as formerly, the blue- 

 winged birds are alone met with. — J. K. 



