478 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



the effect of a rather severe drubbing for a week after. 

 They are interesting birds, however, especially when 

 they are nesting, for the gander is a most devoted mate. 

 All day long he stands guard by the nest while the 



PHEASANTS ARE WILD, UNTAMABLE BIRDS FROM THE TIME 

 THEY ARE HATCHED. COMPARE THE APPEARANCE OF THIS 

 BIRD WITH THE YOUNG GROUSE. 



at one side of the pond until the drake mallard notices 

 his proximity to the mallard duck. The mallard has a 

 pugnacious disposition and lowering his head he starts 

 toward the goose, of whose timidity he has already 

 learned. The goose has longer legs than the mallard 

 and can run faster, but the mallard can help himself 

 along by flapping his wings. A comical race ensues, the 

 goose, with his head thrown back and his chest up, 

 strides up the bank with his wings held close to his 

 body. A few feet behind 

 him, with his head lowered 

 close to the ground and his 

 wings desperately fanning 

 the air, comes the mallard 

 drake. Across the yard 

 they go and up the hill 

 through the vineyard where 

 the mallard soon finds him- 

 self handicapped and ceases 

 pursuit to stand guard on 

 the path and not allow the 

 goose to return. The snow 

 goose is a gentle bird com- 

 pared with the Canada geese 

 and makes a better pet for 

 when the Canada geese be- 

 gin to nest the old gander is 

 almost dangerous to have 

 around, so fierce does he be- 

 come. One needs to arm 

 himself with a club when he 

 approaches them to hold him 

 off or he may suffer from 

 numerous bruises inflicted 

 by the bony knobs that are 

 borne on the bird's wings. 

 The writer was once taken 

 off his guard while feeding tJi^^ A J^P^:^ljL strenuous pet, e pecially when 



_. * , , S Ji^fTING THE GANDER IS SHOWING HIS PUGNACIOUS QUAL- * "caputs are easy to r 



these strenuous pets and felt I f E I ? Y ,M" NG up THE intruder with the bony knobs nn ._,, , \, 



r ON his wings. on a small scale and one can 



IS ISA BABY GROUSE. RUFFED GROUSE MAKE GENTLE 

 TWO DAYS OLD E VERY START ' IS LITTLE CHAP IS BUT 



goose incubates, accompanying her once or twice a day 

 to the pond to eat and drink. For five weeks he is thus 

 attentive until the eggs hatch and then he is even more 

 proud and more pugnacious in the defense of the 



youngsters. No matter how 

 versed one is in the ways 

 of the waterfowl he is 

 continually being surprised 

 when he lives with them 

 year in and year out. He 

 learns new things about 

 their habits and calls that 

 he did not know existed; 

 the changes in plumage 

 that are so difficult to study 

 in nature without the killing 

 of a great many birds open 

 up like a book to read as 

 he passes the pond each day. 

 The courting performanc 

 that one can observe in na- 

 ture only at great distances 

 take place within a few feet 

 of his eyes and the varied 

 calls that are ordinarily s 

 confusing explain themselves 

 in a very simple way. 



If one is not blessed with 

 a pond upon which he can 

 keep waterfowl, he can still 

 have an enclosure and keep 

 a few upland game birds. 

 Pheasants are easy to raise 





