CHAPTER XVI 



GEESE, SWANS AND DUCKS 



IT is in apple picking time that the flocks of 

 wild Geese pass over Peasemarsh on their 

 way to the south. When the first flock 

 was seen last fall there was such frantic shout- 

 ing to us from the orchard that we rushed out 

 fearing some of the boys had fallen from the 

 long ladders that reached to the top of the 

 spy trees. Reaching the orchard, breathless, we 

 were greeted by the reassuring, "Look at the 

 wild Geese! Look! Quick!" We looked, and 

 there flying through the air was a noble squad- 

 ron of Canada Geese. The peak of the Blue 

 Mountain so near the shore a few miles to the 

 south-east causes them to fly high, unless they 

 rest at the mouth of the Indian River, or in the 

 sheltered bay below. Several flocks rested 

 there last fall, and in the early morning were 

 seen rising up from the water and setting out 

 upon the journey southward. In the early 

 spring they pass again northward, homeward. 

 [139] 



