RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
The results of the feather analyses are given in Table 
1, and levels of significance (P) for differences between 
means using the “t” test are tabulated in Table 2. 
Few facts of a fundamental physiological nature can 
be deduced from these data at this time. The slightly 
higher levels found for most minerals in adults are, how- 
ever, of interest. Many clear distinctions in mineral 
concentration can be made between the Cape Churchill 
and Southampton Island goose populations that are 
valuable for the practical purpose of determining the 
origin of a goose. The higher sodium, potassium, cal- 
cium, and magnesium values for the Cape Churchill 
geese reflect close association with the tidal and brack- 
ish water conditions and higher content of mineral ele- 
ments in this environment, whereas the lower values for 
Southampton Island geese reflect the traditional inland 
movement to fresh-water areas of these birds after hatch 
(Bray 1943). Our accumulating data from breeding 
areas, from which we have ascertained the chemical 
composition of the soils and food plants as well as 
feathers of the populations concerned, clearly indicate 
that the higher values for phorphorus, manganese, sili- 
con, aluminum, and boron in the feathers of the South- 
ampton Island geese must be associated with an intake 
of food plants, soils, and grit proportionately more abun- 
dant in these elements. The invariant nature of zinc 
and copper in these two populations probably reflects 
physiological control in environments low in these min- 
erals. In general, the levels of significance (Table 2) 
for the adults and for the immatures between the two 
populations are similar; those data showing wide differ- 
ences reflect variability and wide range in the analyses. 
There is a close similarity of values for adults and 
immatures from each locality (Table 1). This simi- 
larity contradicts the possibility that data for adults are 
not likely to be meaningful because the birds return 
north with a highly differentiated body pool of min- 
erals and grit in the gizzard after 6-8 months of feeding 
in other environments. Evidently, the 1-2 months the 
adults spend on their breeding grounds prior to the 
molt is sufficient time for a new balance to be achieved 
between their mineral pool and the new environment. 
The possibility of genotypical differences between the 
two populations as a factor in explaining, at least in 
part, differences found in feather chemistry can also 
be dismissed because the Cape Churchill population is 
of very recent origin and was very likely derived from 
Eskimo Point colony stock (Fig. 1) which in turn is 
thought to have originated from Southampton Island 
stocks. 
There is little information in the literature on the 
mineral content of feathers. In his summary of animal 
nutrition Mitchell (1962:229) was able to cite only 
Gonnermann (1918) with respect to mineral content 
Tas_e 1.—Analyses (ppm), standard error of the mean, and range of the analyses of vane portions of blue and lesser snow 
goose feathers. 
(Negative values correspond to values less than figures stated. For computation, the negative sign was ignored. ) 
ee ee ee 
Cape Churchill, Manitoba 
(locally breeding stocks) 
Adults (N=11) Immatures (N=5) 
Mean S&S, Range Mean Sx Range 
Fort Severn, Ontario 
(stocks breeding on Southampton Island, N.W.T.) 
Adults (N=18) Immatures (N=10) 
Mean Sx Range Mean Sx Range 
Na 581 18 445644 536 30 441—606 237 watt 17283 15 o31Ne 14 160—298 
me, 670" 191 153—1,623 822** 951 4431296 65 14 16—300 43 3 21—54 
Ca ...1,809 111  1,500—2,800 1,900 141 1,600—2,400 1,417 70 600—2,000 1,310 72 900—1,600 
Meese 204 «1222S -150-250 200 16 -150—250 264 29 150—500 280-21 200—400 
3 ea 10—219 71 8 5495 189 15 68—314 170 26 78—303 
in... 116 2 106—124 113 3 104—121 117 3 81—130 116 2 103—128 
Mg .. 568 38 450—900 550 39  500—700 ee Ae 300—500 340 37 300—400 
Mn.. 3.2 0.5 oms Oe COP (OR Si’ SEs NS OES 
cee 7.0 0:3 5—8 1 gn 6—10 6.9 0.4 5—10 6.6 0.3 6—8 
St ...1,818 788 -1,000—9,700 1,220 97 -1,100—1,600 2,256 373 -1,000—5,700 3,150 946 -1,000--8,600 
a. 21 ie yea 16 iM 14-20 85 9 31—150 63 ant? 16—174 
my 62.6 0.2 49 34 0.2 3—4 48 0.4 Bae] 4.315 0.2 46 
mN=S 
