The  Black  Brant  (Branta  nigricans),  a  name  sometimes
applied  to  the  white-fronted  goose  to  distinguish  it  from  the
white  brant  or  snow  goose,  is  the  western  representative  of  the
preceding  species  and  of  only  casual  occurrence  on  the  Atlantic
coast.  It  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  its  ally  by  its  darker
under  parts  and  the  white  markings  on  the  front  as  well  as  the
sides  of  its  neck.  Their  habits  are  almost  identical.  Both  these
"  barnacle  geese "  take  their  name,  not  from  their  fondness  for
the  little  crustacean,  for  they  are  almost  vegetarians,  but  from  the
absurd  fable  that  they  grew  out  of  barnacles  attached  to  wood  in
the  sea.  Some  etymologists  claim  that  the  word  brant  is  derived
from  the  Italian  word  branta,  coming  from  branca,  a  branch ;  but
these  geese  have  nothing  to  do  with  branches,  unlike  the  Canada
geese  that  sometimes  nest  in  trees ;  and  we  may  more  confidently
accept  Dr.  Coues's  statement  that  brant  means  simply  burnt,  the
dark  color  of  the  goose  suggesting  its  having  been  charred.
SWANS

(Subfamily  Cygninat)

Whistling   Swan

(Olor  columbianus)

Called  also:  AMERICAN  SWAN

Length — 55  inches,  or  a  little  under  5  feet.
Male  and  Female— Entire  plumage  white;  usually  a  yellow  spot
between  the  eyes  and  nostrils,  but  sometimes  wanting;
bill,  legs,  and  feet  black.  Immature  birds  have  some  brown-
ish and  grayish  washings  on  parts  of  their  plumage.
Range — North  America,  nesting  about  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and
migrating  in  winter  to  our  southern  states  and  the  Gulf  of
Mexico.  Rare  on  the  Atlantic  coast  north  of  Maryland;
more  abundant  on  the  Pacific.
Season— Winter  visitor  and  spring  and  autumn  migrant,  October
to  April.
