Natural History of the Hudson's Bay Territories. 51 



to their success in hunting them. Three skins have been re- 

 ceived, which appear to belong to three different species ; 

 the one of middle size being without doubt the true Canada 

 goose. The smallest one differs in the form of the bill, which 

 is more Bernicle-like ; it resembles B. Hutchinsii ; and Sir 

 William Jardine informs me it agrees very exactly in size, &c, 

 with a bird from Mexico, described by Cassin, from the Phila- 

 delphia Museum, under the name of parvipes. And he adds, — 

 " Its being from Mexico is no drawback, the Philadelphia Mu- 

 seum possesses only one specimen, and that would be migra- 

 tory." The largest specimen seems also distinct, and does not 

 appear to have been described ; and as it is obvious that, 

 whether it be really a new species or merely in a different state 

 of plumage, it must, when it becomes known, be sooner or later 

 described and made identifiable as a variety, if not as a species, 

 I think I can do no harm in describing it. and giving it a pro- 

 visional cognomen. 



Bernicla leucolcema, (Murray). (Plate I.) 



Beak black ; head and greatest part of the neck black ; chin 

 and throat white, the white extending upwards and backwards 

 beyond the ear coverts, and also extending downwards along 

 the under side of the neck almost to the end of the black por- 

 tion, but tapering away and becoming narrower and somewhat 

 interspersed with black feathers as it extends downwards; the 

 under eyelid broadly white ; the white on the cheeks, &c, 

 without black flecks ; the black on the fore part of the head 

 and behind the white space flecked with white ; the back and 

 the wing coverts, the secondaries and tertials light brown, 

 with lighter coloured edges to the feathers ; primaries dark 

 brown ; tail feathers black ; the rump black ; upper tail 

 coverts white ; lower part of the neck pale dirty lavender ; 

 upper part of breast still paler ; lower part and belly almost 

 white, except a broad pale lavender-coloured band across the 

 middle, just before the tops of the thighs, or, perhaps, I 

 should rather express it as breast and belly pale lavender- 

 coloured, with a broad white band across the breast ; vent 

 and under tail coverts white ; legs and first phalanges pale 

 brown, probably paler when in life ; remainder of the phalanges 

 and interdigital membranes bright yellow, sparingly spotted 

 here and there with black or brown. Length, 40 inches. 



Its general appearance is very much the same as that of the 



