ZOOLOGY. 
251 
I obtained a single specimen of this goose at Port Townsend, Puget Sound, in January, 1857. 
It was brought for sale, with others of the same species, by some Indians of the vicinity, who 
had shot them on some of the neighboring prairies. My specimen I first took to be the B. 
hutchinsii , (figured by Cassin as B. leucopareia ?) but as the measurements seemed unusually 
large, I determined to preserve the skin. The bird measured 34.50 inches in length, 62.50 in 
extent; wing, (from brachio-carpal joint,) 17.25. 
As I understand Mr. Cassin’s article on the A. leucopareias of Brandt, he seems to consider 
it identical with Hutchins’s goose . In this view I concur with Mr. Cassin— i. e., if the deciding 
point should rest in the presence or absence of the white collar and small dimensions of the bird. 
Specimens of the Hutchins’s goose were obtained by me at Fort Steilacoom, both with and 
without the white collar, which seems to be a mark peculiar to either age or condition, and 
not specific , as birds differing in this respect were killed apparently from the same flock. 
[For measurements of Hutchins’s geese, see next species.] If the Hutchins’s goose takes the 
synonym of leucopareia, then the description at the head of this article, given by Professor 
Baird, will not apply to that species, and the bird critically examined by the latter—and the 
only one of the kind in the Smithsonian collection—which was obtained by me at Port Town¬ 
send, will probably be called B. occidentalism as recommended by Professor Baird.—S. 
BERNICLA HUTCHINSII, (Rich,) Bonap. 
Hutcliins’s Goose. 
Anser hutchinsii, Rich. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 470.-— Nutt. Man. II, 362 .—Aud. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 526; pi. 
277.—Ib. Syn. 271.—Is. Birds Am. VI, 1843, 198 ; pi. 377. 
Bernicla hutchinsii, Bon. List, 1838.— Baird, Gen. Rep. Birds, 766. 
Sp. Ch. —Precisely similar to A, canadensis, but smaller. Tail of 16 feathers. Tarsus longer than middle toe and claw. 
Length, (according to the Gen. Rep., see below,) 30 inches; wing, 15.80 ; tarsus, 2.70 ; commissure, 1.76. 
Hab. —Northern and western regions of North America. 
As I have stated in the notes on the preceding species, I do not consider the presence 
or absence of the white collar as a specific character in this species, (the B. leucopareia of 
Cassin.) 
A specimen regarded by Professor Baird as B. Hutchinsii , got by me at Fort Steilacoom, was 
identical in habits and plumage (excepting the ring ) with many others seen and obtained by 
me in the same locality. Two of these measured less than the standard in the general report. 
Length, 27.50 inches; extent, 56.50; wing, from carpal joint, 16.25. Another: 27.50; 
54.50; 13.50. 
This goose is very abundant on the Nisqually plains in autumn, where, in the early part 
of the day, their sonorous honking enlivens the senses, and is an agreeable music to the ear 
of the sportsman. At night, and also during the middle of the day, they retire in flocks to the 
fresh water lakes in the vicinity, where, resting on the surface, they leisurely paddle about 
or lazily sleep. The name given to this species by the Nisqually Indians is ah-hah , a name 
which is considered to be similar to their honking cry. 
They are excellent eating, and, as they subsist almost entirely upon grass, have no fishy 
or other disagreeable flavor. They arrive on the Nisqually plains about October 1, and 
continue abundant for two months thereafter. They are also quite abundant at the same season 
on the u tide prairies” at the mouths of the various rivers emptying into Puget Sound.—S. 
