138 Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 



the ^' first goose," which is always considered somewhat of a 

 feat. To this end, in the next few days, numerous wooden 

 decoys appeared, all deviating, more or less, from the natural 

 model, which, I must own, none came very near. Mine were 

 roughly hewn out of a log of wood, with no other tools but an 

 axe and a saw, and smeared with charcoal in place of paint ; 

 however, they answered the purpose exceedingly well ; for it is 

 wonderful what imperfect imitations, either in call or effigy, will 

 attract waterfowl in spring-time, when there are but few places 

 to select suitable for halting and feeding. On this subject I 

 must refer all who take especial interest to a communication on 

 the "Swans and Geese of Hudson's Bay," by my much-respected 

 friend Mr. Geo. Barnston {' Ibis,' vol. ii. No. 7), whose oppor- 

 tunities for the observance of the fauna and flora of the northern 

 portion of the American continent, during a life passed in the 

 service of the Hudson's Bay Company, have been so well taken 

 advantage of. Besides recording the different species of Geese 

 found in the "interior," which I shall advert to under their 

 several heads, Mr. Barnston has furnished reliable returns of the 

 numbers annually slaughtered, from which he estimates that no 

 less than the enormous amount of 800,000 Geese (the Brant 

 not included) wing their way southward from the country lying 

 between Hudson's Bay and the Bocky Mountains every autumn. 

 Now this, I feel sure, is not over the mark ; for I was informed, on 

 good authority, that at York Factoiy alone the average number 

 of Geese salted down for the use of the Hudson's Bay Company's 

 establishment is thirty barrels in the spring and twenty-three in 

 the fall ; while Severn House supplies York Factory with other 

 forty barrels annually. This is confirmed by a letter from my 

 friend Mr. James B. Clare, now in charge of the northern depot at 

 Yoi'k Factory, in which he says : — " In an average of five years 

 we have expended at this place annually 5857 Geese, 2155 Ducks, 

 1870 White Partridges (Willow Grouse), and 2480 Plovers; 

 the quantity, however, varies according to the season, more 

 especially in Partridges (Grouse), 4474, for example, having been 

 expended in one of these years." These additional returns, and 

 the immense flight of Geese which I have seen in the Saskatcha- 

 wan country, induce me to believe that Mr. Barnston has far 

 from overrated the AmerincB of the " interior." 



