THE POULTRY-YARD. 281 



the long-legged and active birds soon got far 

 ahead of their waddling competitors ; but when 

 they had completed about half the distance it be- 

 gan to get dark, whereupon the whole flock of 

 turkeys fluttered up into the trees over the road 

 and refused to come down. In fact, the more 

 frightened they became at the shouts and threats 

 of the men who were driving them, the more 

 closely they stuck to their perches. Meanwhile 

 the geese, who were bound by no such arboreal 

 or crepuscular traditions, plodded steadily on and 

 were declared winners. 



One curious habit of geese and of ducks seems 

 to show that the mimicry of snakes is by no 

 means confined to the Felidae. It seems very 

 probable that the hiss of the goose, when it 

 desires to show hostility, is founded upon the 

 hiss of the serpent. Many ducks also, when 

 nesting, will thrust out their necks and hiss 

 when an intruder approaches, and a Muscovy 

 drake is almost as ready to adopt this method 

 of intimidation as a gander. It is found that 

 nearly all long- necked birds which nest among 

 reeds and bushes show a similar habit. The 

 South American ostrich, when sitting on its nest 

 on the open plains, has a curious resemblance 



