260 BRITISH BIRDS. 



air like a cloud, and to spread themselves over the 

 lakes and swamps in innumerable multitudes. 



Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, gives the follow- 

 ing interesting account of the mode of taking the 

 Canada Goose in Hudson's Bay. 



"The English of Hudson's Bay depend greatly 

 on Geese, of these and other kinds, for their sup- 

 port; and, in favourable years, kill three or four 

 thousand, which they salt and barrel. Their 

 arrival is impatiently attended; it is the harbinger 

 of the spring, and the month named by the Indians 

 the Goose moon. They appear usually at our settle- 

 ments in numbers, about St. George's day, O.S., 

 and fly northward to nestle in security. They 

 prefer islands to the continent, as further from the 

 haunts of men. Thus Marble Island was found, in 

 August, to swarm with Swans, Geese, and Ducks; 

 the old ones moulting, and the young at that time 

 incapable of flying. 



" The English send out their servants, as well as 

 Indians, to shoot these birds on their passage. It 

 is in vain to pursue them : they therefore form a 

 row of huts made of boughs, at musket-shot dis- 

 tance from each other, and place them in a line 

 across the vast marshes of the country. Each 

 hovel, or, as they are called, sfand, is occupied by 

 only a single person. These attend the flight of 

 the birds, and, on their approach, mimic their 

 cackle so well, that the Geese will answer, and 

 wheel and come nearer the stand. The sportsman 

 keeps motionless, and on his knees, with his gun 

 cocked, the whole time; and never fires till he has 

 seen the eyes of the Geese. He fires as they are 

 going from him, then picks up another gun that 



