We examined the influence of timing of reproduction and brood size on growth rates of goslings of nidifugous Lesser Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens) using data collected at La Perouse Bay, Manitoba from 1978 to the present, Gosling growth rates declined significantly during the season, and the declines were independent of the parental genotype. Goslings from larger broods grew significantly faster, but there was no significant annual variation in the seasonal growth rate patterns with either hatch date or brood size. The hatch date and brood size effects could not be accounted for by systematic differences in either egg size or body size of the female parent. Goslings that grew more slowly due to the effects of hatch date or brood size were significantly smaller as adults. Because gosling growth rates influence final adult size, they may have a significant effect on various life history traits in this species.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

THIS paper describes white geese with morphological characteristics intermediate between the Ross' Goose (Chen rossii) and the Lesser Snow Goose (Chen hyperborea hyperborea). Although the parentage of these intermediate white geese is unknown, they apparently represent the hybridization of Ross' Geese and Lesser Snow Geese in the wild. Johnsgard (1960) analyzed the occurrence of intratribal hybridization among Anserini based primarily on hybrids reported by Gray (1958). Ross' Goose is known to hybridize in captivity with both the Blue Goose (Chen caerulescens) and Lesser Snow Goose (Sibley, 1938; Gray, 1958: 53). Intergeneric hybrids have been reported from avicultural collections between the Ross' Goose and the domesticated Greylag Goose (Anser anser), Emperor Goose (Philacre canagicus), and Cackling Goose (Branta canadensis minima) by Sibley (1938), and the Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) by Scott (1951: 38). Sibley (1938) also documents the intertribal hybridization of a captive Ross' Goose and Blue-winged Goose (Cyanochen cyanopterus). Wild hybrids of Ross' Geese and these species have not been reported. Scientific nomenclature follows the A.O.U. Checklist (A.O.U., 1957), although taxonomic revisions of the Anatidae suggested by Delacour and Mayr (1945), Delacour (1954), and Johnsgard (1968) have been accepted by an increasing number of waterfowl biologists. Terminology and concepts of hybridization conform with the definitions and descriptions of Mayr (1963) and Short (1969). The term "intermediate" is used to denote the apparent hybrids of Ross' Geese and Lesser Snow Geese. SOURCE O•' INTER2VIEDIATE WItlTE GEESE Twenty-four intermediate white geese were studied between 1962 and 1968 (Table 1). In addition, information is presented on 18 other intermediates to document further the occurrence and distribution of these geese. While banding waterfowl at Teo Lake (51 ø 35' N, 109 ø 24' W) near Kindersley, Saskatchewan, on 4 October 1961, Dzubin captured a goose with characteristics intermediate between the Ross' and Lesser Snow Geese. This adult female goose was carefully examined but escaped before measurements were taken. Dzubin trapped and measured a second intermediate goose, an immature female, at Teo Lake on 24 October 1962. Independently, Trauger captured an adult female intermediate goose on 29 December 1962 while cannon-netting geese at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (40 ø 05 • N, 95 ø 15' W) near Mound City, Missouri. This goose was presented to the 856 The Auk, 88: 856-875. October 1971

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

No abstract