XXI 



WILD GEESE 



THE common wild-geese known as the Canada 

 geese are familiar to everyone who observes 

 wild birds at all. They fly high in the air in long 

 lines converging to a point in front, where an old ex- 

 perienced gander takes the lead and sounds the honk, 

 which can be heard for a long distance, and which is 

 taken up by those behind. The geese come to the 

 United States from the north, usually late in October 

 and during November, moving south as the waters 

 freeze over. They are common on both coasts and in 

 the interior. 1 have seen them in great numbers in 

 the Missouri valley, and fairly abundant in the spring 

 and autumn on the Long Island bays. They are eas- 

 ily domesticated, and in Dakota I often saw birds 

 which had been wounded and which were kept as de- 

 coys. Geese are shot over wooden decoys and metal 

 profiles, but the live birds are used wherever the geese 

 come in any numbers, and, of course, are the best 

 ones. It is impossible to distinguish the domesticated 

 birds from the wild ones. I was once shooting over 

 live birds in the West when I saw a Sioux Indian 

 approach my stand, and when he discovered the geese 

 he left his pony far out on the plain and carefully pro- 

 ceeded to stalk them. I was perfectly concealed and 

 enjoyed the performance, but stopped him just as he 



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