I 34 
Nelson on the Black Brant. 
four to ten birds. Scarcely have the reports died away when they 
once more glide along close to the ground ; the alarm is forgotton ; 
order is again restored, and the usual note is heard as they swiftly 
disappear in the distance. Thus they continue flying until one 
or two o’clock in the afternoon when, after a pause of three or 
four hours, they begin again and continue until after sundown. 
The migration of this species in spring generally continues for 
a week to ten days from its first arrival, but during the spring of 
1880 they were seen from the 20th of May until June 8th. Twice 
during the breeding season, in the spring of 1879, I saw single 
birds which each time circled mutely about overhead with all 
the appearance of a bird whose nest was not far away, but, if 
such was the case, I did not succeed in finding it. My native 
workman told me, at the time, that a few instances had occurred 
of single nests being found here. The mouth of the Yukon 
probably forms the extreme southern limit of this bird’s occurrence 
in the breeding season. 
With the exception of the Painted Goose, the Black Brant is 
the fattest of the spring Geese, and the natives smack their lips 
in anticipation when the first arrivals are announced. They also 
stand high in favor with the Russian residents along the coast who 
refer with pride to some big day they have had shooting “ Nim- 
kee,” and wind up with the remark that they are u good eating, 
too.” For my own part I admit a decided partiality for the Black 
Brant in spring ; first, on account of its fatness and the consequent 
important addition it makes to our table, replacing for a time 
the other species of lean and sinewy Geese and Ducks ; and, 
secondE, for the sport it affords, occurring, as it does, in far 
greater numbers than all the other species together. But, to be 
properly enjoyed upon the table, they must be eaten within three 
or four days of being killed, as after that time the fat begins to 
become fluid about the joints and is invested with a daily in- 
creasing flavor which by no means adds to the quality of the 
roast. 
The flight of this species is peculiar among North American 
Geese and bears a close resemblance to that of the Eider and 
other species of heavy-bodied short-winged Sea Ducks. It has 
a parallel in the flight of the Emperor Goose except that the 
latter is a far heavier bird and, in consequence, the wing strokes 
are less rapid. In B. nigricans the strokes are short, energetic, 
