.140 
The Brant. 
The Brant— Fig. 11 
THE BRANT. 
^nas bernicia, Linnjetts; Brent Goose, Pennant. Arct. Zool., vol. 2, p. 
551, 
The Brant, Wilson; Am. Orn., vol. 8, p. 131, pi. 72, fig. 1; Bonap. Ann. 
Lye, N. Y.. vol. 2, p. 387. 
Description. — Bill small, much shorter than the head, subconi- 
cal, turned down at the tip. Nasal groove elongated. Nostrils sub^ 
basil, elliptical. Tibia bare for a short distance. Tarsus 2-0, com- 
pressed, and longer than the middle toe. Tail very short, much 
rounded. 
Color. — Head, neck, shoulders, and upper part of the breast, 
blackish. Bill and feet black. Lower eyelid, spot on the chin, 
and a few tips of feathers on the sides of the neck, w^hite. Dorsal 
plumage, brown, margined with greyish. Quills, tertiaries; rump 
and tail, greenish-black. Sides of the rump, and the vent, and of 
the upper and under tail-coverts, white. Flanks barred with white 
and gray. Female, slightly smaller, but in no respect different. 
Young, no white patch on the side of the neck; plumage above 
and beneath, barred with reddish brown. Length 22*0, 25-0. 
The Brant is considered as one of our most savory birds. In 
its transit from its breeding places, near the Arctic sea, it appears 
in great numbers on the coast of New York in the first or second 
week in October, and continues passing on to the south until De- 
