CANADA GOOSE-SHOOTING. 299 
put a little hay under the blanket for a pillow, set 
out our decoys, laid ourselves down, carefully sprinkled 
a little hay anda few stalks over us, and thanking St. 
Hubert (the sainted huntsman) that our corporosity 
was not Sancho Panzan, patiently waited the result of 
our experiment. 
We did not wait long. A wandering goose, alone, 
a prodigal, returned, answered our call, and coming over 
us at a height of fully 60 yards, was shot dead. After 
being hit it came down straight for our blind, like a 
chunk of lead. We sprung quickly out, involuntarily 
admitting its right of possession. Down it came,a gray 
streak. I dodged, and it struck the ground with ter- 
rific force, not three feet from me. Had that goose 
struck me, it would have fallen ou George to have per- 
formed the unpleasant duty of telling just how I had 
been killed. We afterwards learned it weighed a trifle 
over 12 lbs. We were now satisfied our blind was a 
success, and expected fun throughout the afternoon, 
and we were not disappointed. <A flock returning from 
the river, away up, headed for us. We * honked,” but 
no reply ; again we tried, stillnoanswer. ‘ I’m afraid 
they will pass us,” said George. Just then a coarse 
* Ah-unk”’ vibrated in the air, and we knew that set- 
tled it, that they would come down. For a moment 
all was still except our soliciting cries; then * Ah-unk, 
Ah-unk,” they answered in quick succession. From 
their great height they started, each trying to get ahead 
of the other. They came down almost perpendicularly, 
with a swift, waiving, swinging flight, apparently al- 
lowing their weight to sink them and only using their 
wings to steady themselves, giving a peculiar lateral 
motion, swerving their bodies first one side, then the 
