214 
GEESE 
173. Branta bernicla glaueogastra ( Brehm ). Brant. Ads. — Head, 
neck, throat and upper breast black; sides of the neck speckled with white; 
back brownish gray, margined with grayish brown; longer and lateral upper 
tail-coverts white; lower breast ashy gray fading to white on lower belly; 
sides darker. Im. — Similar, but with less white on sides of neck and wing- 
coverts, and secondaries tipped with white. L., 26‘00; W., 13*20; Tar., 2*20; 
B., 1*35. 
Range. — N. Hemisphere. Breeds on Arctic islands n. of lat. 74° and w. 
to about long. 100°, and on the whole w. coast of Greenland; winters on the 
Atlantic coast from Mass. s. to N. C., rarely to Fla., has been recorded in 
the interior from Man., Ont., Colo., Nebr., Wise., Mich., Xnd., and La.; 
accidental in B. C. and Barbados. 
Washington, rare W. V. Long Island, common T. V., Nov. 18- Jan. 8; 
Mch. 6-May 10; a few winter. Ossining, A. V. 
Nest, of grasses, moss, etc., lined with down, on the ground. Eggs , 4, 
smooth and creamy white in color, 2*70 x 1'80 (Saunders). Date, Buchanan 
Bay, Ellesmere Land, June 17 (Thayer Coll.). 
“Its manner of flying is different from that of the Canada Goose — 
moving in more compact bodies, less rapidly, and without seeming to 
have a chosen leader — that marked characteristic in the flight of the 
latter. 
“While in our bays it appears inactive, seldom taking to wing unless 
disturbed by a passing boat or the near report of a gun. 
“The Brant rises slowly, and when on the wing moves sluggishly 
for a short distance, and, if not attracted by a distant flock, frequently 
returns to the place it had left. Its food consists of a marine plant 
( Zostera marina ), commonly called ‘eel grass/ At low water it is seen 
industriously at work tearing up its favorite plant. After the tide has 
risen to such a height as to compel it to relinquish its vocation, it is 
seen drifting with the current, feeding sumptuously on the fruits of 
its labor.” (Giraud.) 
174. Branta nigricans ( Lawr .). Black Brant. Bears a general 
resemblance to the preceding species, but may be readily distinguished by its 
much darker lower breast and upper belly, which are nearly as dark as the 
back, and by having white markings on the front as well as on the sides of 
the neck. 
Range. — W. N. Am. Breeds on the Arctic coast and islands from Pt. 
Barrow e. to near mouth of Anderson River, n. probably to Melville Island; 
common on Siberian coast, Chukchi Peninsula, and w. to New Siberian 
Islands; winters on the Pacific coast from B. C. s. to San Quintin Bay, 
L. Calif., in the interior of Ore., and Nev., and on the Asiatic coast s. to 
Japan; recorded as a straggler to Mass., N. Y., and N. J. 
Long Island, A. V. 
Nest, of grasses, moss, etc., lined with down, on the ground. Eggs, 5-7, 
dull ivory-white or grayish white, 2 ’85 x 1*82 (B., B., and R.). Date, Admi- 
ralty Bay, Alaska, June 19. 
This is the western representative of the preceding species. It is 
of casual occurrence on the Atlantic coast, about a dozen birds having 
been recorded from between Massachusetts and New Jersey. 
1910. Fay, S. P., Auk, XXVII, 336. 
The Barnacle Goose (175. Branta leucopsis) is an Old World species 
which visits Greenland regularly in the fall, and is sometimes found on our 
