78 NOTES ON THE 



If it was not for their pulling the young wheat out of the 

 ground, and thus destroying it entirely, as they do where the 

 ground is very friable, they would do little if any harm, as 

 snipping off the luxuriant blade rather contributes to the de- 

 velopment of the roots, and thus to the perfection, and final 

 quantity of the grain. To the same end, in fall- wheat countries, 

 the farmer often grazes his wheat fields in early spring. Hot, 

 dry "northers" in the great valleys of the Pacific Coast, will 

 sometimes scorch the wheat fields in late winter until there is 

 not a blade of the beautiful green to be seen, but if not so far 

 advanced as to involve the first "joint," the undisturbed roots 

 will soon throw out the blades again, and a better crop will fol- 

 low for the premature firey grazing. They are great mast 

 eaters, consuming incalculable quantities of mast in fall and 

 spring both. 



Their habits have been so often described in detail, that it 

 would seem to be a work of supererogation to refer to them, but 

 that of their manners in the season of pairing and in the de- 

 fence of their young, is so striking that I will refer to them by 

 a quotation from "Our Birds in Their Haunts," (Rev. J. H. 

 Langille, M. A. ) which is a quotation by the author of that 

 work. It says: "It is extremely amusing to witness the court- 

 ship of the Canada Goose in all its stages; and let me assure 

 you, reader, that although a gander does not strut before his be- 

 loved with the pomposity of a turkey, or the grace of a dove, 

 his ways are quite as agreeable to the female of his choice. I 

 can imagine before me one who has just accomplished the de- 

 feat of another male, after a struggle of half an hour or more- 

 He advances gallantly toward the object of his attention, his 

 head scarcely raised an inch from the ground, his bill open to 

 its full stretch, his fleshy tongue elevated, his eyes darting 

 firey glances, and as he moves he hisses loudly, while the emo- 

 tion which he experiences causes his quills to shake and his 

 feathers to rustle. Now he is close to her who in his eyes is 

 all loveliness, his neck bending gracefully in all directions, 

 passes all around her, occasionally touching her body, and as 

 she congratulates him on his victory (over all competitors, H.) 

 and acknowledges his affection they mutually move their heads 

 in a hundred curious ways." The same author has previously 

 described its courage and strength in the defence of the 

 mate and young so graphically that I allow myself the 

 further quotation which follows. Speaking of an ex- 

 ceptionally large one that "returned three years in sue- 



