313 



ANADA GOOSE {Bernicla canadensis), 

 a large and wary bird, is the subject of 

 one of the intaglio-gravure pictures 

 illustrating "Game Birds of America." 



THURSDAY DAILY READING IN THE MENTOR COURSE 

 PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION 



TpHERE is no more exhilarating sound 

 in nature than the sonorous honking 

 of wild geese. Who has not at some . 

 time in his life heard, far aloft, the well- 

 known trumpet "Honk I" and the prompt 

 answers all down the two lines as the V- 

 shaped flock winged swiftly forward? 

 Usually the geese fly in a broad, V-shaped 

 line; but this is not constant, and one 

 sometimes sees them flying in a long, 

 whiplike curve. This seems to be when 

 they are temporarily disturbed, as by 

 (some strong change in the air currents. 

 But it seldom lasts long, as the birds 

 soon rearrange themselves in their geo- 

 metrical angle formation. In the raw, 

 windy days at winter's end, as the flocks 

 fly north, the old gander's cry is accepted 

 as a guarantee of spring, and hailed with 

 joy. 



The Canada goose is the largest of 

 the wild geese of North America. Its 

 average length is about thirty-five inches, 

 and it usually weighs fifteen pounds or 

 even more. This bird has a jet black 

 head and neck, with a conspicuous white 

 crescent encircling the throat. The black 

 on the neck ends abruptly where the 

 neck joins the body, and the general 

 tone of the latter is gray-brown. Its 

 neck is longer, and generally more slen- 

 der, than those of other birds. 



There are few warier birds than the 

 Canada goose. Unless the hunter has 

 much experience or exceptional advan- 

 tages, he will find them very hard to get. 

 The number of birds that still survive 

 testify to the wariness, the keenness of 

 vision, and the good judgment of this 

 much prized bird. For this reason they 

 will probably long continue to lend their 

 wonderful charm to our spring and 

 autumn skies, and to be an inspiring in- 



dex upon which the weatherwise base 

 their forecasts. 



The Canada goose winters in Texas, 

 along the Gulf of Mexico, and in the 

 sounds , and bays of Virginia and the 

 CaroUnas, and goes north early in the 

 spring. In the summer it inhabits the 

 far North, from Labrador and the Sas- 

 katchewan regions north to the Arctic 

 Ocean. In August, like many of the 

 ducks, these birds molt the entire wing, 

 and at that season their chief enemies 

 are the Indians and Eskimos, who catch 

 them in great numbers. 



However, for eating the gander is not 

 very good. His flesh is strong, tough, 

 and- unpleasant. The females and tender 

 goslings are far more highly prized as food . 



The gander is very energetic and cour- 

 ageous in defending his mate on the 

 nest. W. T. Hornaday, director of the 

 New York Zoological Park, tells an anec- 

 dote that illustrates this. "Last 

 spring," he says, "two of our geese paired 

 off and built a. nest on the south bank 

 of the Mammals' 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 anyone ap- 

 proached it he iriimediately hastened to 

 intercept the intruder, hissing and threat- 

 ening with his wings in a most truculent 

 manner. Had anyone persisted in dis- 

 turbing the female he would willingly, 

 even cheerfully, have shed his blood in 

 her defease. His unswerving devotion to 

 his duty attracted the admiring atten- 

 tion 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," 



Copyright^ 1913, by The Mentor Association, Inc. 



