178 
ANAS CANADENSIS. 
Their first arrival on the coast of New Jersey is early 
in October, and their first numerous appearance is the 
sure prognostic of severe weather. Those which 
continue all winter frequent the shallow bays and marsh 
islands ; their principal food being the broad tender 
green leaves of a marine plant which grows on stones 
and shells, and is usually called sea cabbage ; and also 
the roots of the sedge, which they are frequently 
observed in the act of tearing up. Every few days, 
they make an excursion to the inlets on the beach for 
gravel. They cross, indiscriminately, over land or 
water, generally taking the nearest course to their 
object ; differing in this respect from the brant, which , 
will often go a great way round by water rather than 
cross over the land. They swim well ; and, if wing- 
broken, dive and go a great w r ay under water, causing 
the sportsman a great deal of fatigue before he can kill 
them. Except in very calm weather, they rarely sleep 
on the water, but roost all night in the marshes. When 
the shallow bays are frozen, they seek the mouths of 
inlets near the sea, occasionally visiting the air holes in 
the ice ,* but these bays are seldom so completely frozen 
as to prevent them from feeding on the bars. 
The flight of the wild geese is heavy and laborious, 
generally in a straight line, or in tw r o lines approximating 
to a point, thus, Z>~ ; in both cases, the van is led by an 
old gander, wdio, every now and then, pipes his well 
known honk , as if to ask how they come on, and the 
honk of “ all’s well” is generally returned by some of 
the party. Their course is in a straight line, with the 
exception of the undulations of their flight. When 
bewildered in foggy vreather, they appear sometimes to 
be in great distress, flying about in an irregular manner, 
and for a considerable time, over the same quarter, 
making a great clamour. On these occasions, should 
they approach the earth, and alight, which they some- 
times do, to rest and recollect themselves, the only 
hospitality they meet w r ith is death and destruction 
from a whole neighbourhood already in arms for their 
ruin. 
