FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



a story was either too good to be true or that 

 the geese in question were of an abnormally- 

 gifted type not to be met with elsewhere. At the 

 Bath and West Show at Truro, however, reliable 

 evidence was afforded that this wakeful attitude, 

 as well as the acuteness to turn it to account, was 

 not the appanage solely of the geese of the Capitol. 

 With a view to the better protection of the poultry 

 under his charge, the foreman of that department 

 always occupies a timber-built bedroom adjoining 

 the poultry-tent. On the night in question his 

 slumbers were broken by the excited hissing in the 

 adjacent tent of a prize gander, who was evidently 

 greatly perturbed about something. So persistent 

 and vehement were the demonstrations, that the 

 foreman turned out of bed to see what was the 

 matter. He then found that the intelligent bird, 

 with a view to eventualities, was evidently in 

 the habit of sleeping with one eye open, and so 

 was enabled to spot two robbers of hen-roosts, 

 who were foraging for eggs. With the sagacity 

 of a well-trained watch-dog, the gander at once 

 gave the alarm, and the offenders were pounced 

 upon. On being afterwards interviewed, the 

 foreman, well-known in poultry circles as Sam 

 Melhuish, said that he knew of no better watch- 

 dogs than geese, for they were so highly-strung 

 that the least symptom of anything unusual at 

 night was sufficient to put them into a flutter of 

 excitement, and their one desire then was to call 

 everybody's attention to what was going on. As 

 Sam's knowledge of the manners and customs of 

 poultry is encyclopaedic, this may be safely 

 accepted as gospel. It is comforting to believe 



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