204 DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 



latter is gray-brown. Its neck is longer, and also more slen- 

 der, as a rule, than those of other wild geese. 



This fine bird winters in Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico, 

 and in the sounds and bays of Virginia and the Carolinas, 

 and goes north early in spring. Its nesting-grounds begin 

 in our northern tier of states, and extend northward to 

 Labrador, the Barren Grounds and Alaska. Throughout 

 much of that vast area, the shotguns and rifles are ever ready, 

 and the number of geese that still survive are eloquent testi- 

 mony to the wariness, the keenness of vision and the good 

 judgment of this much-prized bird. A bird of equal desir- 

 ability, but with a dull brain and poor vision, would have 

 been exterminated long ago. 



One of the most interesting things about the Canada 

 Goose is the energy and courage of the male in defending 

 the female on her nest. Recently two of our geese paired 

 off as usual, and built a nest on the south bank of the wild- 

 fowl pond, in a very exposed situation. From that time until 

 the young were hatched, the gander never once wandered 

 from his post. It was his rule never to go more than sixty 

 feet from the nest, and whenever any one approached it, he 

 immediately hastened to intercept the intruder, hissing and 

 threatening with his wings in a most truculent manner. Had 

 any one persisted in disturbing the female, he would willingly, 

 and even cheerfully, have shed his blood in her defence. 

 His unswerving devotion to his duty attracted the admiring 

 attention of thousands of visitors, and the proudest day of 

 his life was when the first live gosling was led to the water, 

 and launched with appropriate ceremonies. 



