CACKLING GOOSE. 75 



birds will cross each other's path, when, uttering notes 

 resembling low growling or grunting, each seizes the 

 other's bill, and with wings hanging loosely by their 

 sides, haul and twist one another, until suddenly coming 

 close together, each strives to beat his rival with the 

 wings, striking with so much force_ that the sound of the 

 blows can be heard a long distance away. Not much 

 damage is done, however, in these encounters, for the 

 strokes are usually warded by the wing of the other bird, 

 and the conflict terminates by the weaker breaking away 

 from his antagonist and running off. 



Mating having been at length accomplished, a spot 

 for the nest is selected, generally a depression in a 

 bunch of grass, or on a knoll, and this is lined 

 with grasses or feathers plucked gradually from 

 the female's breast, until the eggs are hidden in 

 a bed of down. The number of these varies from 

 seven to thirteen, and they are at first pure white, 

 but after lying in the nest a while, become soiled and 

 dingy. If anyone approaches the female when on the 

 nest, she crouches down in as flat a position as possible, 

 and when she deems it no longer prudent to remain 

 skulks away through the grass, makitig no sound until 

 she considers herself at a safe distance. In the latter 

 half of June and the beginning of July the young appear, 

 and are cared for by both parents until able to fly, which 

 is toward the end of August. At this time the old birds 

 moult. They now scatter over the country, feeding upon 

 the different kinds of berries which are ripened through- 

 out the land. On the Aleutian Islands, these Geese 

 breed by thousands in the marshes and lagoons. On 

 some of the Islands various species of foxes abound, and 

 the Geese are compelled to rear their young on the islets 

 near by, or on others in lakes, where they cannot be 



