CHAPTER XII. 



WILD GEESE, CRANES, AND SWANS. 



Among the wild geese to be found in the spring 

 and fall in the States of the great Mississippi 

 Valley, there are at least two varieties which are 

 common in the same seasons on the seaboard of 

 the Atlantic States. These are the Canada goose, 

 the common wild goose, known almost every- 

 where, and the brant goose. But besides these, 

 we have in the Western States vast numbers of 

 small geese of other varieties, which we commonly 

 call Mexican geese. As many as- three of these 

 differ in their plumage, and, though found in the 

 same flocks apparently, are no doubt the following : 

 Hutchinson's Goose, the White-Fronted Goose, and 

 the Snow Goose. As mentioned above, they are 

 only known by Western sportsmen as Mexican 

 geese. We have, then, five or six varieties of 

 wild geese in Illinois, Iowa, etc. Of these the 

 Canada goose is the largest and finest, and it 

 used to be much the most numerous. It is a 



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