AN APRIL HIKE 33 



low Sun, made a sight that will linger very long 

 in my memory. 



The organization of these hosts of snow geese 

 is truly marvelous and far surpasses that of most 

 gregarious creatures. "In unity there is 

 strength," seems to be their rule of life and guid- 

 ing proverb. Unlike the gray geese, that " drib- 

 ble " out to the .fields in small companies, there 

 to be cut down by the gunner over his decoys, 

 a small number of birds always decoy better than 

 a large flock the white fellows usually go 

 massed in a few great detachments. In this way 

 they always have the gun-man at their mercy, as 

 the first flock refuses to decoy to anything less 

 than an acre or two of their kind, and those com- 

 ing later seem to know exactly what they are 

 looking for. At best, the shooter can get only a 

 volley into each detachment; and it is seldom 

 that he takes heavy toll from a flight. Thus the 

 yell of the wavey will still be a familiar sound 

 on the plains, long after the gray brothers have 

 become but a memory. 



At sundown I built my little fire and had 

 supper, in that same labor of love, transferring 

 a wondrous portion from the knapsack to the in- 

 side man; for bacon and bread, crinkled and 



