266 FEATHERED GAME 



for their undoing. Few are the hungry trav- 

 elers that do not come in for rest and food at 

 his invitation. Many shooting clubs have large 

 flocks of decoys and elaborate methods of hand- 

 ling them, letting bird after bird free from their 

 hidden pens to rush to the water when a flock 

 of visitors are wavering in their minds as to 

 coming in. The decoys rarely fail to bring 

 their wild brethren into trouble at last, and, like 

 humanity, the geese thus trained seem to enjoy 

 their mean trade. 



The full grown Canada Goose is a most 

 worthy bird : the largest return for his powder 

 and shot that comes to the average sportsman. 

 A Goose of ordinary size will weigh eight 

 pounds, and occasionally old '^ honkers" are 

 brought to bag which will tip the scales at 

 twelve or fourteen pounds. Nor is the bold fel- 

 low to be despised at the table, for his flesh is 

 of good flavor, and unless the subject is too 

 long experienced in the ways of the world, the 

 meat is nice and tender. Surely they are as 

 good for all ordinary purposes as any of the 

 breeds now found in the farmer's barnyard, 

 and the wonder is that more have not been do- 

 mesticated. 



