308 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[no. 27. 



been recorded concerning their migration route, it is reasonably cer- 

 tain that the brent geese which visit Banks Land and Melville 

 Islands are of this species. Though keeping strictly to the seacoast 

 east of the Mackenzie during migration, many of the flocks (probably 

 all the eastern breeding birds) strike across Alaska from near the 

 mouth of the Mackenzie to the north Pacific. 



Very little is known regarding the boundaries of the breeding 

 ranges of this and the preceding species, but it is probable that the 

 following records refer to B. nigricans. 



Sabine states that brent geese breed in great numbers on the islands 

 of the Polar Sea," referring particularly to Melville Island, since 

 Fisher in his account of the same expedition states that many were 

 seen near Liddon Gulf (and elsewhere) in June, 1820.^ Armstrong- 

 records large numbers of brent geese seen on Banks Land, near 

 Prince Alfred Cape, August 19, 1851.^ 



Baird, Brewer, and Kidgway state that — 



Mr. MacFarlane found it breeding in abundance on islands northeast of 

 the mouth of Anderson River, in Liverpool Bay, on the Arctic coast, on Franklin 

 Bay, on various other parts of the coast, and especially in regions west of 

 Anderson River.'* 



Salvadori records a skin from Liverpool Ba}^, collected by Mac- 

 Farlane.*^ Reed records eggs from Cape Bathurst, taken June 22, 

 1901, by H. H. Bodfish.^ 



Richardson obserA ed ' brent geese undoubtedly of this species, 

 near Caj^e Bathurst on August 11, 1848, and refers to the circum- 

 stances as follow^s: 



The eider ducks had now assembled in immense flocks and with the brent 

 geese were migrating to the westward. Both these waterfowl follow the coast 

 line in their migrations. * * * The brents are not seen inland to the east- 

 ward of Peel's River.^' 



In the same work Richardson published extracts from a letter 

 from Mr. Murra3^ describing a black goose which regularly passed 

 through the Yukon Valley in migration, the description plainly 

 referring to this species. A few of the birds were said to pass 

 down Peel River, but they are more abundant on the Yukon." 



« Suppl. to Appendix Parry's First Voyage, p. ccvii, 1824. 



^ Journal Voyage of Discovery, p. 223, 1821. 



^ Narrative Discovery Northwest Passage, p. 391, 1857. 



^ Water Birds N. A., I, p. 474, 1884. These records are mainly from Eskimo 

 collecting, since MacFarlane visited the coast in summer only at Franklin Bay. 

 ^ Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXVII, p. 124, 1895. 

 t N. A. Birds' Eggs, p. 86, 1904. 

 s Arctic Searching Expedition, I, p. 269, 1851. 

 Ibid., II, p. Ill, 1851. 



