LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS 
172. Canada Goose. Branta canadensis 
canadensis. 
Range. — -.The whole of North America, breeding 
from northern United States northward, and win- 
tering in the southern parts of the United States. 
This species is the most widely known of Amer- 
ican Geese and is the most abundant. Its familiar 
“honk” has long been regarded as the signal of 
the coming of spring, and the familiar Y-shaped 
formation in which the flocks migrate is always 
an object of interest to everyone. With the ex- 
ception of in North Dakota and Minnesota, they 
breed chiefly north of the United States. They 
construct quite a large nest of weeds and grass, 
and warmly line it with down and feathers. 
They lay from four to nine eggs of a buff or drab 
color. Size about 3.50 x 2.50. Data. — Ellingsars 
Lake, North Dakota, May 18, 1896. Five eggs. 
Nest on an island in the lake, constructed of 
weeds and trash, and lined with a few feathers. 
Collector, Edwin S. Bryant. 
172a. Hutchins Goose. Branta canadensis 
hutchinsi. 
This sub-species is like the preceding except 
that it is smaller, thirty inches in length. It is 
a western variety, breeding in Alaska and along 
the Arctic coast and wintering to southern Cali- 
fornia. Its breeding habits, nests and eggs are 
the same as the common goose except that the 
eggs are smaller. Sibe 3.00 x 2.05. 
172b. White-cheeked Goose. Branta cana- 
densis occidentalis . 
This bird is about the same size as the Canada 
Goose and the plumage is very similar except 
that the black sometimes extends on the throat, Canada Goose ^ 
thereby isolating the white cheek patches, and ! 
there is a white collar below the back of the neck. It is a western species, 
breeding in Alaska and wintering along the Pacific coast of the United States. 
Its nesting habits and eggs are same as those of the Canada Goose except that 
the latter are a trifle smaller. 
172c. Cackling Goose. Branta canadensis minima. 
This bird is really a miniature of the Canada Goose, being but twenty-four 
inches in length. It breeds in Alaska and along the Arctic coast and migrates 
into the western parts of the United States. They are abundant birds in their 
breeding range, where they place their nests upon the shores of ponds, or on 
islands in inland rivers or lakes. The nests are made of weeds and grasses, 
lined with down. The eggs which are buff colored, number from four to nine 
and are laid during June and July. Size 2.30 x 1.95. 
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