192 THE CANADA GOOSE. 



his motions, I see that it is impossible even for the keen eye of the sentinel 

 Goose to follow them. Bang, bang, quoth his long gun, and the birds in 

 dismay instantly start, and fly towards the spot where I am. When they 

 approach I spring up on my feet, the Geese shuffle, and instantaneously rise 

 upright; I touch my triggers singly, and broken-winged and dead two birds 

 come heavily to the ground at my feet. Oh that we had more guns! But 

 the business at this pond has been transacted. We collect our game, return 

 to our horses, fasten the necks of the Geese and Ducks together, and throw- 

 ing them across our saddles, proceed towards another pond. In this manner 

 we continue to shoot until the number of Geese obtained would seem to you 

 so very large that I shall not specify it. 



At another time my friend proceeds alone to the Falls of the Ohio, and, 

 as usual, reaches the margins of the stream long before day. His well- 

 trained steed plunges into the whirls of the rapid current, and, with some 

 difficulty, carries his bold rider to an island, where he lands drenched and 

 cold. The horse knows what he has to do as well as his master, and while 

 the former ranges about and nips the frozen herbage, the latter carefully 

 approaches a well-known pile of drifted wood, and conceals himself in it. 

 His famous dog Nep is close at his heels. Now the dull grey dawn gives 

 him a dim view of the Geese; he fires, several fall on the spot, and one 

 severely wounded rises and alights in the Indian Chute. Neptune dashes 

 after it, but as the current is powerful, the gunner whistles to his horse, who, 

 with pricked ears, gallops up. He instantly vaults into the saddle, and now 

 see them plunge into the treacherous stream. The wounded game is over- 

 taken, the dog is dragged along, and at length on the Indiana shore the horse 

 and his rider have effected a landing. Any other man than he of whose 

 exploits I am the faithful recorder, would have perished long ago. But it is 

 not half so much for the sake of the game that he undergoes all this labour 

 and danger, as for the gratification it affords his kind heart to distribute it 

 among his numerous friends in Louisville. 



On our eastern shores matters are differently managed. The gunners 

 there shoot Geese with the prospect of pecuniary gain, and go to work in 

 another way. Some attract them with wooden geese, others with actual 

 birds; they lie in ambush for many hours at a time, and destroy an immense 

 number of them, by using extremely long guns; but as there is little sport 

 in this sort of shooting, I shall say no more about it. Here the Canada 

 Goose feeds much on a species of long slender grass, the Zostera marina, 

 along with marine insects, Crustacea, and small shell-fish, all of which have 

 a tendency to destroy the agreeable flavour which their flesh has when their 

 food consists of fresh-water plants, corn, and grass. They spend much of 

 their time at some distance from the shores, become more shy, diminish in 



