

124 WILDFOWL SHOOTING IN THE WESTERN STATES. 



Its colours ^♦•e from a jet black to the lightest shades 

 of fai\'n, or even white. The head and upper portions 

 of the neck are the former, the back and external 

 wing feathers are a very dark brown, while fawn and 

 white are charmingly intermingled along the lower 

 portions of the body. Around the neck is a pure 

 white ring, such as is to be found in some varieties 

 of English pheasants, and gives the bird an air of 

 smartness that it would not otherwise possess. In 

 truth I never look at one of these geese that I do not 

 think of a Philadelphia Quakeress in the costume of 

 her people, which is in my eyes the perfection of 

 neatness and unobtrusiveness, so totally destitute of 

 aught that can be considered showy or ostentatious. 

 The flight of the Anser Canadensis is wonderfully 

 strong and protracted, and, although during stormy 

 weather, it may be low, when the elements are settled 

 I have often found its altitude so great that it was 

 difficult to di.^tinguish them v ith the naked eye, in 

 spite of their deep, repeated calls keeping me con- 

 stantly informed where they should be looked for. 



Although I would not say that these birds are 

 strictly nocturnal, yet they frequently make long 

 journeys at night when necessity to do so arises from 

 sudden changes of weather. 



Snow was again falling, but in such infinitesimal 

 flakes that it little interfered with my powers of 

 vision, so I let the beauties come on, just to see how 

 close they would approach before discovering my 

 presence. When within twenty-five yards, simul- 

 taneously all threw up their wings till their pinions 

 appeared to touch each other, down went their feet 

 spread to the utmost degree of expansion, and in a 

 moment more the flock would have been upon the 

 ground, when T pitched my barrels upon the nearest 

 bird and pressed the right-hand trigger ; with the 

 report two fell, while th« second discharge earthed 

 another. If I had hesit ited some seconds longer 



