LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 215 



also cause tliem great distress, and in tlie midst of them some have been known 

 to tly against beacons and lighthouses, dashing their heads against the walls 

 in the middle of the day. In the night they are attracted by the lights of 

 these l)uildings, and now and then a whole flock is caught on such occasions. 



When preparing to alight the whole flock set their wings and 

 drift gradually down a long incline until close to the surface, 

 then scaling or flying along they drop into the water with a splash. 

 They swim gracefully on the water after the manner of swans and 

 can make rapid progress if necessary. That they can dive and swim 

 under Avater, if need be, is well illustrated by the following incident, 

 related by Audubon (1840) : 



I was much surprised one day, while on tlie coast of Labrador, to see how 

 cunningly one of these birds, which, in consequence of the molt, was quite 

 unable to fly, managed for awhile to elude "our pursuit. It was first perceived 

 at some distance from the shore, when the boat was swiftly rowed toward it, 

 and it swam before us with great speed, making directly toward the land ; but 

 when we came within a few yards of it, it dived, and nothing could be seen 

 of it for a long time. Every one of the party stood on tiptoe to mark the spot 

 at which it should rise, but all in vain, when the man at the rudder accidentally 

 looked down over the stern and there saw the goose, its body immersed, the 

 point of its bill alone above water, and its feet busily engaged in propelling it 

 so as to keep pace with the movements of the boat. The sailor attempted to 

 catch it while within a foot or two of him, but with the swiftness of thought 

 it shifted from side to side, fore and aft, until delighted at having witnessed so 

 much sagacity in a goose, I begged the party to suffer the poor bird to escape. 



Mr. Henderson describes in his notes an interesting habit of pose 

 assumed by this species, as follows : 



I rode down the river a short distance to where I had noticed a pair of 

 geese alight and soon saw one standing on a gravelly island. Making a short 

 detour and riding closer, T saw both birds lying flat on the gravel, head and 

 neck outstretched along the ground, precisely as they do on the nest. They 

 were hiding right in the open without the slightest cover. Though I have 

 what is called the hunter's eye pretty well developed, it is doubtful if I would 

 have noticed them if I had not previously known they were there. They 

 remained perfectly motionless and resembled pieces of water-worn driftwood 

 so perfectly that I now understand how it was that in descending rivers in a 

 canoe I had so often failed to observe them until they took wing. It was the 

 most beautiful example of protective coloring I have ever seen. As I rode up 

 to. the river bank in plain siglit and making a good deal of noise, one bird 

 remained perfectly still and the other moved its head slightly to watch me. 

 I then rode out into the river to within 35 yards before they broke the pose 

 and took to flight. 



M. P. Skinner has noticed similar habits in Yellowstone Park. He 

 says in his notes : 



Geese have a curious habit of " playing possum." Instead of flying away, 



they .squat flat with head and neck stretched out straight befoi-e them in a 



most ungooselike attitude. After one has passed by three or four hundred 



yards they raise their heads slowly an inch or two at a time and linally get 



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