. The wild fowl of the United States and British possessions : or, The swan, geese, ducks, and mergansers of North America . th to Point Barrow,which would make it fair to suppose that there was someunknown spot beyond the frozen barrier that was favora-ble for nesting and rearing the young, and other flocks ofthis Goose have been seen flying from the north to theeastward of Wrangel Land, and steering for the Alaskancoast, several hundred miles to the south. The Black Brant is among the last of the migrants toarrive in Alaska in the spring from the south. It reachesSt. Michaels and the mouth o
. The wild fowl of the United States and British possessions : or, The swan, geese, ducks, and mergansers of North America . th to Point Barrow,which would make it fair to suppose that there was someunknown spot beyond the frozen barrier that was favora-ble for nesting and rearing the young, and other flocks ofthis Goose have been seen flying from the north to theeastward of Wrangel Land, and steering for the Alaskancoast, several hundred miles to the south. The Black Brant is among the last of the migrants toarrive in Alaska in the spring from the south. It reachesSt. Michaels and the mouth of the Yukon toward thelatter part of May, and it takes about ten days or twoweeks for the army of birds to pass, for none remain tobreed; the goal they are steering for lying still far to thenorthward. It flies rapidly with quick, short strokesof the wings, not unlike those made by its eastern rela-tive, and the flock, no matter what may be its size, isstrung out in a single line at right angles to its waving, undulating movements run along theentire length of the line; commencing at either end, or 84. BLACK BRANT. §5 from the middle, and going in opposite directions;caused by individual birds changing the level of theirflight, and at a distance giving the impression of a shiverpassing through the mass. This frequent gracefulmovement is very attractive to watch, and one keeps hiseyes fixed on the birds, wondering where the next waveis going to begin. The same action occurs in the flightof certain species of Ducks. As a rule the Black Brantflies low. I think this is characteristic of the two species,and while the birds often change their altitude as theyspeed along, now just over the water, and again at novery great distance above it, they never rise to any greatheight. When flying, they keep to the coast line, fol-lowing it in all its sinuosity, rarely passing over anypart of the land, or else performing their migrations farout to sea. In the spring they are
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
