m 
L~ IX f %(> _ 
86 J 
Second Occurrence of the Black Brant (Bern- 
icla nigricans) in Massachusetts, 
Cambridge, Mass. — I have just had the pleasure of ex¬ 
amining a black brant which was shot by Mr. William 
Avery Cary at Chatham, Mass., on April 15, 1902, and 
mounted by Mr. J. T. Clark, who ascertained, by dissec¬ 
tion, that the bird was a male. It is a fine specimen in 
fully adult and perfectly typical plumage, having the char¬ 
acteristic belt or collar of conspicuous white marking 
almost completely encircling the neck, and the normal 
amount of sooty slate on the under parts. In company 
with six other brant it came within long gun range of a 
shooting stand or box on the Monomoy Island Flats. As 
its companions escaped capture, and hence close examina¬ 
tion-, it is uncertain whether or not they were of the 
same kind, but the presumption is, of course, that they 
belonged to our common Eastern species, for the black 
brant is an exceedingly rare straggler (from the Pacific 
coast of North America) to our Atlantic seaboard. It 
has been taken once before, however, in Massachusetts 
— “at or near Chatham,” in the spring of 1883 (Cory, 
Auk. 1, 1884, 96). Mr. Cary, to whom J am indebted 
for most of the above details — as well as for permission 
to make them public—is, no doubt, personally known to 
many readers of Forest and Stream, for he is Secretary 
of the Monomoy Branting Club, and one of our most 
prominent Boston sportsmen. Fie has, in his business 
office, a small but choice collection of mounted birds, 
chiefly waders and waterfowl, all of which have fallen to 
his own gun. The black brant will be aclded to this col¬ 
lection as soon as it leaves the hands of the taxidermist, 
Mr. Clark. William Brewster. 
Brant (Branta nigricans) in Massachusetts. — As this bird is one 
ry rarest in Massachusetts, and also is but a rare straggler on any 
he Atlantic coast, every instance of its being taken should be 
1 record. I heard of one of these Brant being killed some years 
latham, and upon further investigation found the bird in the col- 
Mr. W. A. Carey of Boston. It was shot on April 15 , 1902 , and 
of a flock of seven Brant, and the only one killed. That spring 
|3 an unusually small number of Brant at Chatham, and the party 
onomoy Brant Club, the week that Mr. Carey was there, killed but 
I birds. Curiously enough this was the only one that he himself 
! supposed that it had been reported long ago and was much sur- 
find that it had been overlooked, though a number of people knew 
fstence. This is only the second record for the State, the other 
le reported by C. B. Cory as killed in the spring of 1883 , also at 
ji! There seem to be but very few records for the Atlantic coast, 
■e shot in New Jersey on April 5 , 1877 2 ; one was shot by Augustus 
in Oneida Lake, N. Y., on October 30 , 1891 , s and only three have 
m reported from Long Island, all from Great South Bay. One 
n in 1840, 4 one in 1889, 5 and one in 1908. 8 As far as is known these 
tally three from that locality. This then makes but seven records 
Atlantic coast, with a total of but eight birds. 7 —S. Pkescott Fay, 
Mass. 
f, C. B., Auk, Vol. I, 1884, p. 96. 
(t, W. E. D„ Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. IV, 1879, p. 226. 
g, Egbert, Auk, Vol. XI, 1894, p. 163. 
cher, William, ibid., Vol. X, 1893, p. 271 
er, William, ibid., Vol. X, 1893, p. 266. 
■k N. L , ibid., Vol. XXV, 1908, p. 473. 
lese should be added the type specimen of the species, taken at Great Egg 
STew Jersey, in January, 1846 (cf. Lawrence, G N„ Ann. Lyc. N. H. 
1846 p 171, pl. xii), and two others taken later the same winter. There 
leveral later records for New Jersey in addition to those given above (cf. 
rds of New Jersey, 1908 (1909), p. 96). Ed.] 
Auk 27<J dy-1910 p. 337 , 
