Wild Geese. 261 



of not less cleanly and scarcely less lovely herring- 

 gulls and sea-mews. But, not giving us more credit 

 for our good intentions than we deserve, he spreads 

 out his large wings, stretches forth his long neck, runs 

 a few paces, and, uttering a loud and screaming cry, 

 springs into the air. Some gentle flaps of his vigorous 

 wings carry him to a safe distance, when he alights 

 on the smooth water, and is frequently joined by his 

 clamorous companions. Buoyantly they float, each 

 with his head to the wind, like a fleet of merchantmen 

 at anchor, secured from the attacks of pirates by the 

 presence of their convoy." * 



The wild geese, in very severe seasons, are to be 

 found in considerable numbers among the birds at the 

 seashore. They may be known by the V-shaped order 

 in which they invariably fly (for they are social birds), 

 and by the peculiar cry of hank, hank, hank, which 

 they now and then utter as they go. There are three 

 main families of wild geese, the lag geese, the grey 

 geese, and the brent geese ; the former are day feeders, 

 and divide their time between the sea or the marshy 

 margins of the lake or the field. The brent geese, on 

 the contrary, are to a large extent night feeders, like 

 the mallard and the teal. They are fond of certain 

 grasses, and will go a considerable distance to feed on 

 the newly sprouting winter wheat ; and when they are 

 feeding in such circumstances, like the crows and the 

 wood-pigeons, they invariably post sentinels, and are 

 very cunning and cautious — difficult to get near to, 

 whether at the seaside, by margin of inland lake, or 

 while feeding in the fields. The man who has stalked 

 and shot a wild goose may consider himself a good 

 shot. The contrast between the wild geese and the 

 * Macgillivray's "Birds." 



