THE CANADA GOOSE 105 



they not share in the feast of fat things ? The young birds among 

 them give a pleasant indescribable twitter or chirrup short, quit k. 

 jerky syllables of sounds very cheery and sportive. They poise 

 on the wing and come actually skimming over the decoys. Two 

 barrels should now account for at least three or four birds ; the 

 remainder might give points to a homing pigeon in their speedy 

 exit into space. 



John brings up the canoe and gathers in the slain. 



Sometimes the wounded give him a long chase, both brant and 

 geese being given to the practice of submerging their bodies when 

 pursued with only their bills above the surface. But John has 

 the eye of a hawk for marking a bird that is hard hit. It is no 

 uncommon thing for a goose or brant to fly off apparently unhurt, 

 and, after a flight of several hundred yards, suddenly spread its 

 wings, and keeping them set drop gently in the water, to fall over 

 dead. It is unwise to seize a slightly wounded bird, for the formid- 

 able beak at the end of the supple neck and the spurs or knuckles 

 of the wings can be used with tremendous effect. If these birds 

 understood their collective power, they might revenge their wrongs 

 by attacking and killing any single sportsman. As the tide advances 

 more shots fall to the gun, but not all such easy work as described. 

 The birds grow more wary as the day goes on, and the light gets 

 more garish. Good marksmanship is called for to bring down a 

 brant going before the wind, a black duck or widgeon fizzing past 

 like a bullet. The increased difficulty, however, adds to the enjoy- 

 ment of a successful performance. 



When the flood tide fills the lagoon till it resembles a magnificent 

 lake the shooting is over for the time being. John is hailed, a 

 landing effected on the sand-bar, and luncheon cooked behind 

 the shelter of a hayrick. 



Then John discourses on birds. He says dark clothing is ' pizen ' 

 to them, and destroys all hope of success ; that the brant go away 

 first, but the geese often remain till the whole bay freezes solid, 

 usually about Christmas ; that in spring they remain till the middle 

 of June, when the eggs are well developed ; that brant eggs have 

 never yet been beheld by mortal eye, though fabulous rewards 

 are offered for them ; that Indians decoy with bundles of eel grass 

 stuck on sloping sticks. He mentions a curious method practised 

 by Indians for taking gulls. Digging a pit in the sand, they covered 

 it with poles some nine inches apart, over which they laid seaweeds 

 and chopped fish. The man in ambush would drag down bird 

 after bird that visited the bait without alarming the others. 



John also says that the white throat patch, and the conspicuous 

 white rumps of both brant and geese, assist the flocks greatly in 



