BIRDS OF DURHAM AND VICINITY. 
25 
have access to no more water than they need to drink they do not ap- 
pear to thrive the less. Mr. Shute of Newmarket has had a pair, 
which he winged on Great Bay, for several years. They have the run 
of his lawn, and are no more shy than ordinary poultry. The food of 
this species is chiefly vegetable, consisting of grass, seeds and aquatic 
plants. 
Branta bernicla. Brant. 173. 
Brant are somewhat irregular but by no means rare visitors to Great 
Bay and the Piscataqua, both spring and fall. I have seen several speci- 
mens from the bay, and Mr. Shute tells me that he sees more or less 
of them flying every year, though they do not always alight. On the 
coast they would be expected to occur oftener than here, but inquiry 
at Hampton does not indicate it, as they are not often taken there. 
It is said to feed largely on eel-grass and other marine plants. The 
Brant is considerably smaller than the Canada goose-, and has no 
white whatever on its head, though adults have a spot of white on the 
side of the neck, near the throat, the young having the head and neck 
entirely black. 
Oior columbianus. Whistling Swan. 180. 
The appearance of a wild swan here is an extraordinary event, and 
I can cite only one case. Some years ago one was wounded and cap- 
tured alive on Great Bay by Mr. Harry Chapman of Newmarket, who, 
being a market gunner, was glad to swap it with one of his neighbors 
for a goose, which he knew better how to dispose of. The swan re- 
covered from its wounds, and was kept alive for some time, but was 
finally killed for the table. Another v/as killed in Great Bay, Decem- 
ber 16, 1902, by Herbert Caswell, of Newington. It is now in 
the college collection. 
Order HERODIONES. 
Family ARDEID^. 
Botaums lentiginosus. American Bittern. 190. 
Bitterns find a home in the extensive swamps lying to the north- 
east of Wheelright pond in Lee, and from thence to the ponds of 
Barrington. Here is a vast tract of marshy solitude just suited to a 
bittern's taste. Excepting in the migrating season, I have not found 
bitterns about the salt water. They come north in April and stay 
