enland and very rarely is
found on the mainland of this continent.

176. EMPEROR GOOSE. _Philacte canagica._

Range.--Alaska, south in winter casually to California.

This handsome species is twenty-six inches in length; it may be known
from the mottled or "scaly" appearance of the body, and the white head
with a black chin and throat. While not uncommon in restricted
localities, this may be considered as one of the most rare of North
American Geese. Their nests are built upon the ground and do not differ
from those of other geese. They lay from three to seven eggs of a dull
buff color. Size 3.10 x 2.15. Data.--Stuart Island, Alaska, June 16,
1900. Six eggs laid in a slight hollow in the ground, lined with a few
feathers and some down. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.

[Illustration 114: Barnacle Goose. Emperor Goose.]
[Illustration: Egg of Canada Goose--Buffy drab.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]

Page 113

177. BLACK-BELLIED TREE-DUCK. _Dendrocygna autumnalis._

Range.--Tropical America, north in the Rio Grande Valley to southern
Texas.

These peculiar long-legged Ducks are very abundant in southern Texas
during the summer months. They build their nests in hollow trees, often
quite a distance from the water. They lay their eggs upon the bottom of
the cavity with only a scant lining, if any, of feathers and down. They
are very prolific breeders, raising two broods in a season, each set of
eggs containing from ten to twenty. These eggs are creamy or pure white,
size 2.05 x 1.50. The first set is laid during the latter part of April
or early in May, and fresh eggs may be found as late as July. They are
especially abundant about Brownsville and Corpus Christi, Texas.
Data.--Hidalgo, Mexico, May 29, 1900. Ten eggs in a hole in an old elm
tree on side of lake in big woods near town. Eight feet from the ground.
Collector, F. B. Armstrong.

178. FULVOUS TREE-DUCK. _Dendrocygna bicolor._

Range.--This species is tropical like the last, but the summer range is
extended to cover, casually the whole southwestern border of the United
States.

This bird is long-legged like the last, but the plumage is entirely
different, being of a general rusty color, including the entire under
parts. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the
Black-bellied Duck, the white eggs being laid at the bottom of a cavity
in a tree. They number from eight to (in one instance) thirty-two eggs
in one nest. This species is