CANADA GOOSE. 65 



The sportsman, who has been waiting for a favorable 

 opportunity to get as many heads in Hne as possible, so 

 as to secure the most birds at the first shot, seeing this 

 action, is obliged to accept the chance he can get before 

 they swim out of gunshot, and aiming where the heads 

 are thickest, without rising discharges his first barrel, 

 and springs to his feet, to avail himself of the next best 

 opportunity. With the roar of the gun, the Geese rise 

 en masse, and the air is full of twisting birds and flapping 

 wings, a mixture of varying strokes and moving forms 

 most bewildering to the novice, who, distracted by the 

 commotion, probably fires his remaining charge in the 

 air, expecting most of the birds to fall. Not so the cool 

 and experienced shot, who. knowing full well that he can 

 only get a single bird, except by accident, selects the one 

 giving the most favorable opportunity, and adds it to 

 those floating on the water. The remaining Geese 

 rapidly take themselves away from such a dangerous 

 neighborhood, and with many Honks express their 

 disapproval of the whole business. It is astonishing how 

 speedily such large birds can get upon the wing and out 

 of range on such an occasion as the one described. The 

 decoys, which have remained quite silent during all the 

 commotion, and have witnessed the slaughter of their 

 brethren, now express their satisfaction by splashing the 

 water over themselves, swimming about and gabbling to 

 each other rapidly in low tones, and then mount 

 onto their platforms to watch for more Geese to 

 allure to destruction. The dead birds float back 

 upward, if shot on the water, with the head and 

 neck immersed, while the wounded ones, laying 

 the head and neck flat upon the surface, try to 

 skulk away, paddling toward the marsh or beach to 

 hide, or directly in the wind's eye for the open water. It 



