Among the Water Fowl 



that it was a Canada Goose. We learned from a 

 neighboring settler that Geese usually bred in the 

 vicinity, so we began the exploration of an adjacent 

 large tract of rushes, back from the shore, hoping 

 to discover the nest of this bird. The search at 

 length brought me out to the shore again, near a 

 projecting point of land. As I came around the 

 rather steep shore of the point, what was my amaze- 

 ment to come right upon a flock of Geese sitting 

 on the beach, not twenty paces ofif. Eighteen of 

 them were the common wild Canada Goose ; the 

 other four were beautiful creatures, snow-white all 

 over, save for the black outer half of the wings — 

 Snow Geese — one of the last of the migratory flocks 

 that had been pouring through the state on their 

 way to the far north. It is hard to tell which felt 

 the more surprise, the Geese or the intruder. For 

 an instant they stood as though paralyzed, then 

 sprang into the air and flew ofif with loud honkings. 

 The Snow Geese went by themselves out over the 

 lake and the others made a circle or two till they 

 had mounted quite high, and then, in their usual 

 wedge-shaped order, steered their course for the 

 north. 



Just a week later, with the same companion, I 

 started out on a six-weeks' camping tour. Two 

 fine horses drew a stout open double buggy, on the 

 back part of which was loaded a tent and a complete 

 camp outfit. We drove forty miles north and west 

 that first day, and at night, as it began to rain, in- 

 stead of pitching the tent, we secured permission to 

 sleep in the hay-loft of a two-story frame barn be- 

 longing to a Norwegian family — the only barn, save 



174 



