46 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



how far this would go, began to relax his efforts and 

 to go round later and later each evening, and as his 

 efforts slackened the gander's zeal increased, until 

 he was left to do the whole work himself and all the 

 keeper had to do was to go round and shut the doors. 

 This state of things had now continued for some 

 years, and the old wild goose was the acknowledged 

 leader and master of all the birds on the farm. 



The story of this wise gander, its readiness in adapt- 

 ing itself to a wholly new way of life and in taking 

 in the situation — the danger by night and need of 

 someone in authority over that heterogeneous crowd 

 of birds who had lost the power of flight, and, from 

 being looked after, had grown careless of their own 

 safety — and, finally, the taking of it all on himself, 

 putting himself in office as it were, may strike us as 

 very strange, but it agrees well enough with the 

 character of the bird as we know it in its domestic 

 condition. It is common to hear of the masterful 

 old gander at farmhouses, the ruler and sometimes 

 tyrant of the farmyard. I have myself observed and 

 have heard of many instances of long-lasting and 

 exceedingly bitter feuds between an imperious gander 

 and some other member of the feathered community, 

 a turkey cock or Muscovy duck or peacock who re- 

 fused to be governed by a goose. But I was specially 

 pleased to have had this story of the bird in Norway 

 from a sportsman and enthusiastic wild-fowler, one 

 of the class who do not like to think too much about 

 the psychology of the creatures it is their pleasure to 

 follow and destroy. 



