»52 JUNGLE FOLK 



The upper one runs from eye to eye, the lower is parallel 

 to, but shorter than, the upper bar. The back of the 

 neck is black and the sides white. There is some black 

 in the wings. The bill and feet are yellow. Both these 

 species of goose are a Httle smaller than the domestic 

 bird. 



Geese are very wary creatures, and possess plenty 

 of intelligence. They all seem to know intuitively the 

 range of a gun, and as they object to being peppered 

 with No. 2, or any other kind of shot, it is necessary 

 for the sportsman to have recourse to guile if he would 

 make a bag. It is this which makes shooting them 

 such good sport. Every bird obtained has to be worked 

 for. By rising very early in the morning the gunner 

 may sometimes get a shot at them while they are 

 feeding. They seem to be less wary then than later in 

 the day. Sometimes, when riding at sunrise, I have 

 suddenly found myself within forty yards of a flock of 

 geese feeding in a field. 



They usually indulge in their midday siesta in an 

 open place, and invariably post sentinels. For this 

 reason they do not give one much opportunity of 

 observing them. They cannot, or pretend they cannot, 

 distinguish between the naturalist and the sportsman. 

 In this, perhaps, they are wise. Their intelligence has, 

 I think, been exaggerated. Last winter, when punting 

 down the Jumna, I noticed a flock of geese resting on 

 the moist sand at the water's edge. Behind them was 

 a semi-circular sandbank, some fifteen feet in height. 

 This bank sheltered the geese from the wind. Birds, 

 like ladies, object to having their feathers ruffled. It 



