Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/115

 GOOSE 107 ig,.with an extent of wings of 50 in., and a w eight of about 4 Ibs. ; in its color it is precisely like the Canada goose ; the eggs are pure white, 3 by 2 in. ; it is found throughout the northern and western parts of America ; its flesh is of llent flavor. The B. leucopareia (Brandt), Brant Goose (Behiicla brenta). from the west coast of America, is about 30 in. , long, with an extent of wings of about 5 ft. ; it | resembles the Canada goose, but is smaller, and of a darker color, especially on the under parts. The brant goose (B. Irenta, Steph.) is about 2 ft. long, with an extent of wings of 4 ft. and a weight of 3J Ibs. This species may be known by the white crescent on the middle of the side of its black neek ; the general color of the upper parts is brownish gray with lighter margins to the feathers; the wings and tail are darker, and the upper tail coverts white ; lower parts grayish, passing into white behind. It is a salt-water bird, breeding in the north, and coming along the Atlantic coast on its return south in the middle of autumn ; its flesh is considered a most savory food. It is shy, a good walker, an excellent swimmer, and, when Barnacle Goose (Bernicla leucopsis). .founded, a most expert diver ; its food consists of marine plants, mollusks, and crustaceans ; it is easily tamed, and in captivity thrives well on grain, and produces young ; the eggs are white. It is found on the Atlantic coasts of North Amer- ica and Europe. It is replaced on the Pacific coast by the black brant (B. nigricans, Lawr.) ; the anterior part of the body of the latter is black, the rest dark plumbeous, with white patches on the throat, sides of rump, and tail coverts ; the bill is wider than in the common brant. The barnacle goose (B. leucopsis, Bechst.) is 28 in. long, with an extent of wings of 4| ft., and a weight of a little over 4 Ibs. ; the fore- head, cheeks, and lower parts are white, the belly with a bluish tint; the crown, neck, 'an- terior back, rump, and tail black ; mantle ash- colored. It is common in winter in northern Europe, especially on the western shores of Great Britain, but is doubtful as an inhabitant of the United States ; it is a salt-water species, very shy, and highly esteemed as food; the eggs are yellowish cream-colored, about 3 by 2 in. It owes its name of barnacle goose to the belief long entertained that it was pro- duced by the barnacle, a cirriped articulate animal often found adhering to old wood ; an opinion expressed so lately as 1636 by Gerard, in his "Herbalist." It has also been called tree goose from the belief that it originated from old and decayed trees. There are several large species of geese in South America, of which the most remarkable are the antarctic (B. antarctica, Gmel.), the males snowy white, and the females black with transverse lines; and the Magellanic (B. Magellanica, Gmel.), ferruginous brown and black, with white wing coverts, and bar on tail. The painted goose (B. Canagica, Bon., or picta, Pall.), of large size, of a bluish gray color, with head, nape, and tail white, black throat with white dots, and quills with a black stripe anterior to the white tip, is common in the Aleutian islands, and is doubtless also found on the N. W. coast of the United States. The last genus of an- serince is nettapus (Brandt), found in the lakes, rivers, and estuaries of continental India, Africa, and Australia. The bill is small and elevated, with short and widely set lamellae ; the nostrils basal ; wings moderate and pointed ; tail short and rounded; the species are of small size. Mr. Blyth says that "the Indian species seems totally incapable of standing or walking on the ground, but invariably flutters along it in a strange, scuffling manner, like a wounded bird ; they always descend into the water, never alighting on the ground of their own accord." The Coromandel goose (N. Coromandelianus, Gmel.), of the size of a teal, has the head and neck white with black spots; crown black; lower neck with black lines; above brown with a greenish and reddish gloss; beneath white. Prof. Baird places the genus dendro- eygna (Swains.) in the goose family, but most authors rank it with the anatince or ducks ; it is allied to the geese more than to the ducks by the elevated base and large nail of the bill, the long legs, and the hexagonal scales in front of the tarsus ; he describes three species as in- habiting the United States. The common tame goose is the European wild bird domesticated, from which it varies considerably in color,