WILD GEESE. 245 
either screens his ‘‘ gopher hole” with a white sheet, 
makes a blind of the same material, and lies in ambush 
behind it, or else dons it as a garment and fastens a hand- 
kerchief around his hat, and then throws himself flat on 
the earth, until the unsuspicious birds come near enough 
to be shot. A person whose dress does not harmonize 
with the landscape in hue, rarely gets an opportunity of 
bagging them, unless he is concealed in a blind made of 
straw, in a thicket, or in a sink-box, for the goose, not- 
withstanding its supposed doltish intellect, is one of .the 
most vigilant creatures that traverse the air, and is 
almost sure to notice any unusual color on the ground, 
and to give it a wide berth. This is why experienced 
hunters wear white clothing in winter, and drab or buff 
at other times of the year. Large numbers of geese are 
killed near air holes in the early part of winter, by 
making blinds of ice blocks, but this system is so much 
like pot-hunting that few sportsmen care for it. Where 
the birds are not molested much, they become so tame 
that a man may ride to within shooting distance and 
bang away at them, for they seem to consider that a per- 
son on horseback or in a wagon is much less dangerous 
than one afoot. 
Geese are generally found feeding on the plains and 
stubble-fields during the day, especially in wet or murky 
weather, but they return to the sand bars of rivers or the 
sea-shore, and the margins of ponds and lakes, in the 
evening. Many are slaughtered on their roosting 
grounds on moonlit nights, as they will often stand a 
good deal of shooting before they decide upon leaving 
for safer quarters. This is particularly the case if food 
is scarce, if they have been shot at much in the fields, or 
if the weather is cold and boisterous. ‘‘ Fire‘hunting ” 
them is a favorite method with some persons, who prefer 
large bags to sport. These men build fires on the roost- 
ing grounds of the birds on dark nights, using the driest 
