76 
NORTH AMERICAN DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 
records show that the Canada goose i^ among the raosl variable of 
birds in the time of its arrival. This is natural, since its migration 
seems to depend almost wholly upon the presence of open water, and 
this varies much with the seasons. The record at Fort Simpson cov- 
ers thirteen years between L881 and ls ( .<4. and the average date of 
arrival is April 28, with extremes of fifteen days from April *2'S to 
May 8. The average variation — the " probable error" — in time of 
arrival is 4.1 days. i. v.. if the Canada goose is noted as arriving on a 
certain date in any one year at that latitude the probability is that 
this date is within 4.1 days of the average date of arrival at that local- 
ity. At Lac du Brochet Post, on Reindeer Lake. Saskatchewan, the 
following are the dates when the first Canada goose was seen: 
L874 May 5 
L875 May 11 
L876 May S 
1S77 Apr. 27 
1878 Apr. 19 
L879 Apr. 24 
i m i . 
1881. 
1882. 
L883 
1 ss4 
May 
May 
May 
Apr. 
May 
L886 
L887 
1888 
L889 
Apr. 2:: 
May :', 
May 7 
Apr. 17 
1885 Apr. 29 
The average date of arrival is- April 30, with extremes of twenty- 
four days from April 17 to May 11. The average variation is 5.9 
days. 
Eggs have been found in northern Indiana, southern Minnesota, 
and central Wyoming the first week in May, and sometimes even in 
April, and at Malheur Lake, Oregon. April 24. An early set was 
found May 4 near the Saskatchewan, and one May 1 1 near the Red 
Dvrv River. Alberta, but usually nesting in this district begins about 
the middle of May. and at the northern limit of the range not much 
before the middle of June. 
Dates of arrived in the fall of the <'<tu<i<ht goose 
Place. 
Num- 
ber of 
years' 
record. 
\\ erage 
.late of 
firs! one 
-cell. 
Earliest date 
of tir-t one 
seen. 
S 
8 
.". 
7 
'.' 
1 
B 
11 
lti 
Aug. 28 
Oct. 28 
Oct. 11 
Oct. -'l 
Oct 20 
Oct. -Jl 
Oct. 22 
Oct. 18 
Oct 20 
Aug. 22,1889 
Oct 21,1902 
Scotch Lake, New Brunswick 
Central Massachusetts 
Sept 1,1889 
Sept. 27, 1898 
Sept. :; i. 1888 
Block Island, Rhode [sland 
Montauk Point, Long island 
Renovo, Pa 
Oct. 7,1904 
ecu trni Pennsylvania 
Oct 1 
Central New Jersey 
Sept. 83, L897 
Oct. 6,1888 
Alexandria, Va 
Atlantic, N. C 
Oct 20,1899 
Anderson, 8. C 
Oct 10,1902 
Chipley, rla 
Oct ^.\<>- 
Aweme, Manitoba 
6 
Aug. M 
Sept. s\ 
Oct 7 
Oct 18 
Oct. 9 
Oct. 12 
Oct n 
Oct 8 
Oct. 20 
Oct. 19 
Oct 18 
Oct i 
Oct. l 
Nov. 12 
Aug. 3,1901 
Aug. 20, 1890 
Sept. 7,1888 
Oct 
Central South Dakota 
7 
1 
9 
8 
7 
- 
1 
1 
1 
8 
K.i n^ 
Grapevine, Tex 
Central Wisconsin 
Sepl 
sent. 30, L892 
Sept. 16,1899 
Sept. 27, iv':> 
Oct 10,1887 
Keokuk, Iowa 
Wauseon, Ohio 
Central Indiana 
Oct 6,1902 
Northern Illinois , 
Sept. 28, 1895 
Sept. 23, l""" 
Sept. 26, 1896 
Nov. 6, 1902 
Central Missouri 
Helena, Ark 
Southern Mississippi 
