AN APRIL HIKE 38 



low Sun, made a sight that will linger very long 

 in my memory. 



The organization of these hosts of snow geese 

 is truly marvelous and far surpasses that of most 

 gregarious creatures. " In unity there is 

 strength," seems to be their rule of life and guid- 

 ing proverb. Unlike the gray geese, that " drib- 

 ble " out to the fields in small companies, there 

 to be cut down by the gunner over his decoyiS, — 

 a small number of birds always decoy better than 

 a large flock — the white fellows usually go 

 massed in a few great detachments. In this way 

 they always have the gun-man at their mercy, as 

 the first flock refuses to decoy to anything less 

 than an acre or two of their kind, and those com- 

 ing later seem to know exactly what they are 

 looking for. At best, the shooter can get only a 

 volley into each detachment; and it is seldom 

 that he takes heavy toll from a flight. Thus the 

 yell of the wavey will still be a familiar sound 

 on the plains, long after the gray brothers have 

 become but a memory. 



At sundown I built my little fire and had 

 supper, in that same labor of love, transferring 

 a wondrous portion from the knapsack to the in- 

 side man; for bacon and bread, crinkled and 



