134 WILD GEESE 



many wild geese on his wild fowl farm, at Chincoteague 

 Island, Virginia, and many of the clubs and many gun- 

 ners and baymen from Massachusetts south to Florida 

 can supply a few birds for propagation. I have seen the 

 geese breeding in Connecticut, quite near New York, and 

 Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton has a number of geese on 

 his lake at Cos Cob, Conn. His birds fly about the 

 neighborhood, but are quite tame and nest in safety. 

 They are properly looked after and fed. There- are many 

 geese on Long Island, N. Y., which are quite tame. One 

 of the best flocks I ever saw is owned by Mr. Remsen, 

 who has a country place near Speonk, Long Island. 



While the geese for the most part are used as decoys, 

 it seems likely they can be made a very good sporting 

 bird, especially in places where gamekeepers are em- 

 ployed. When game preserves become numerous they 

 will fly from one preserve to another, and I have no 

 doubt the shooting will be much improved on public 

 waters and that the markets will be full of wild geese at 

 reasonable prices. 



Geese often do not mate or nest in captivity, and in 

 ordering them from game farmers the purchaser should 

 stipulate for mated birds. These command much better 

 prices than birds which are not mated. In Mr. Whealton's 

 price list, for 1910, Canada geese, young pairs one to 

 three years old, are quoted at $6.50 per pair; mated pairs, 

 five years old, $10.00; breeders, ten to twenty years old, 

 $15.00 per pair. 



The Canada goose lays from six to nine eggs, some- 

 times more when the bird is domesticated, and they are 

 a uniform ivory white. During July the young are 

 hatched and the old birds moult. This is a dangerous 



