202 GEESE. 



about eighty of them pitched in a field, close to the vil- 

 lage of Milford ; which is literally a garrison of pop- 

 gunners. Three at a shot were killed with a mere 

 pop-gun ay, and by a tailor too ! Our friend Snip, 

 feeling himself a privileged man where a goose was 

 concerned, and having, no doubt, seen on the livery 

 buttons (and had construed to him) the motto of " carpe 

 diem" had a fair " set-off" against his transgression, and 

 breach of game-laws : and all ended well, as he shopped 

 his game without getting shopped himself. The poor 

 geese, finding there was not even one day of safety in- 

 land, betook themselves, for security, to the salt water. 

 Here their reception, the next day, was a volley from 

 my two large barrels, which " stopped" about twenty, 

 though I only got twelve, as we had not sufficient water 

 to get very near them : otherwise, something great might 

 have been done, as these geese appear to be much easier 

 of access than any others. Captain Ward tells me that 

 he got almost close to them ; and, had not his gun 

 flashed, would have nearly cleared off the company. 



The laughing geese fly in more regular order than 

 the Brent geese ; but not so much in a figure as the 

 gray geese ; and, I observed, have a cry which I can 

 only describe by manufacturing, and twice repeating, 

 the word, " kirrit." These geese are between the size 

 of the two others, and are very little better eating than 

 the gray ones. Their breasts are barred, like a pattern 

 for a waistcoat ; and seldom two alike (another good 

 excuse for the tailor !) They take a tremendously hard 

 blow; and, if not well shot, will recover, after being 

 knocked fairly down, and then fly away for miles. 



Hudson's Bay is the grand depot for geese of this 

 description. 



