122 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



common spring and fall migrant, (Knight). Washington; common, (Board- 

 man); common only in spring and fall migration, (Clark). York; rare 

 migrant, (Adams). 



The vast majority of the Wild Geese are seen as they fly 

 overhead in their wedge-shaped flocks, led by some old wary 

 gander, but an occasional flock will alight to feed or when 

 puzzled by the weather conditions. They may be seen from 

 late February until well into May, and again in October, 

 November and even December. There seem to be no instances 

 known of their ever having nested in Maine. 



Four to seven buffy white eggs are laid in a nest which is 

 variously situated on the ground on a prairie, among rushes 

 on the bank of a pond, river or lake, or even in a deserted 

 Hawk's nest in a tree (rarely). Seven eggs from Pierce County, 

 North Dakota, May 5, 1897, measure 3.63x2.32, 3.39x2.35, 

 3.56 X 2.44, 3.53 x 2.43, 3.40 x 2.43, 3.43 x 2.29, 3.50 x 2.47. 

 The nest was a mass of rushes lined with dried rushes and much 

 down and it is before me as I write. It was stated by the 

 collector to have been placed on the ground among a heavy 

 growth of rushes on a small island in a lake. 



The cry uttered when on the wing is a clear trumpet like 

 "honk" seemingly uttered by various individuals in the flock. 

 When the weather is foggy their "honk" seems uttered more 

 frequently and in a querulous tone. When a flock has alighted 

 and is sporting in the water without apprehension of trouble, 

 they swim gracefully about plunging their heads and necks 

 under the water to feed. Now and then some lusty or exuber- 

 ant individual, (probably a gander), will stretch itself up in 

 the water, flap its wings over its back, and utter a series of 

 resonant honks, the first loudest, longest drawn out and high- 

 est pitched and gradually lessening in loudness and length and 



decreasing in pitch, about as follows "h o n 



k , h o n k , h — o — n — k-, h-o-n-k-, honk, 



onk, uf," the last note being a mere expelling of the breath. 

 This proceeding I have only observed with one flock, never 



