462 



LAMKLLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS — ANSERES. 



Geese, some n'mainin^; to breed about Klamatli Jiuke, and others in the Cascade 

 Range, if not farther .south. 



Mr. Kidgway mentions it as breeding in the interior, about all the lai^, lakes of 

 the Great l?asin. Its young were caught in May at Pyramid Lake, and the old birds 

 were shot there. It is resident in the Truckee nu-adows, specimens having been 

 procured tliere in Xovembcr; but it was not so abundant there at that time as li. 

 Iliitrhlnxl was. 'Slv. .1. A. Allen found it already \)rcsent in great luuubers in the 

 valley of (Jreat Salt Lake. 



Dr. Cooper states that he noticed a large number of this species breeding along 

 the ^Missouri, where every day he nu't with broods, from ''"ort Leavenworth up to 

 Fort Itcntou. They were said to lay in nests, on trees, probably the deserted nests 

 of some other large bird. He also saw two at Spokane Uiver, in Washington Terri- 

 tory, Septemlu'r 25, which iiad passed the sunnner there. 



iMany interesting and striking evidtuices of the sagacity of this bird are narrated, 

 having reference to the manner in which its migrations are managed, and its safety 

 provided for on its feeding-grounds. 



In the migrations of these (reese, families assemble in flocks, and many of them 

 unite in forming a vast column, each band having its chosen leader. They generally 

 continue flying during the night, l)ut occasionally alight and await the day. Before 

 doing so the pioneers survey the ground below, and select a spot favorable for food 

 and safety. Sentinels are appointed from among the Ganders to sound the alarm, 

 should an enemy appear. Mr. Giraud states that he has seen these Geese adopt the 

 same j)recautions when in large flocks in the daytime. I'he sentinels separate from 

 the main body, move about with heads erect, ready to detect the first indications of 

 intruders. After an interval these outposts would return to the main body, their 

 places being immediately supplied by others. 



The hoarse Inmk of the Gaiuler is a cry so familiar to the iidiabitants, that it is 

 impossible for the birds to arrive without their visits becoming known. The practised 

 bay-hunter watches their flight, discovers their favorite sanding-jdace, and, on gaining 

 the desired j)oint, puts out his decoys, sinks a box in the sand, and there conceals 

 himself ; and as the Geese approach he carefully prepares for their rece])tion. "When 

 wouniU'd this bird is able to sink itself in the water, leaving onlj- its bill above the 

 surface, and can remain in that situation for a considerable time. During storms it 

 flies low ; and also when the weather is very foggy it becomes confused, and alights 

 on the ground. Wild Geese remain on Long Island in the fall until the bays are 

 frozen, and return on the disappearance of the ice in the spring ; but at that season 

 their stay is short. Early in April they collect in large flocks, and move off almost 

 simultaneously. Their food consists of sedge roots, marine plants, l)erries, and herb- 

 age of various kinds. In the winter they are common on the lakes in the neighbor- 

 hood of the Lower ^Mississippi. There — as INIi". Giraud was informed — a few 

 stragglers are wont to remain all summer. The Wild Geese are said to arrive in the 

 waters of Chesapeake Bay about the last of October, when they immcdiatelj- dis- 

 tribute themselves over the entire bay, rarely leaving its shores for the smaller 

 streams, although often retiring to the smaller inlets to roost, or to feed, at night. 



According to Mr. Lewis this bird sometimes makes its flrst apjiearance in the 

 Delaware and in the Chesapeake in October, this early arrival being considered a 

 certain prognostic of a long ami hard winter. On return of the Wild Goose to the 

 north it passes through the Eastern States in April — earlier or later, according to the 

 weather. When in the southern waters it feeds on the leaves, blades, and seeds of 

 maritime plants, and the roots of sedges. 





