140 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ALASKA. 



them. It makes but little difference to them if the goose is fresh or stale. I once remarked to a 

 native that he was salting geese that were far advanced. He replied that they did not ask in 

 winter, when food was scarce, whether food stinks or not. 



The manner of shooting geese at Attu Island is different from that pursued in other localities* 



In the evening the geese repair to the shallow pools to preeu their feathers and be secure from 

 the attacks of foxes. These resorts leave unmistakable signs of the presence of geese of preceding 

 nights. The native wanders over the bills until he finds a lake where "signs" are abundant. 



Every preparation is made for camping out a night or two. A pair of long boots, made of 

 seal-skin and water-tight, are taken. A long sort of shirt (called a l-amlayJca), made of the intes- 

 tines of the sea-lion, is used as a water proof against rain and the wet of- the rank vegetation of 

 the low grounds. 



A hut is generally to be found near the favorite night haunts of the geese. To this one jour- 

 nies in a canoe; "and, on arriving the chynilc (tea-kettle) is hung on the soon-kindled fire to boil, as 

 the chypect (tea-drinking) is a certain concomitant of all Alaskan jaunts, either of pleasure or of 

 profit. The chypeet over, the approach of dusk is awaited. The hunters then seek the chosen 

 ponds and secrete themselves in a gully, or on the hillside near the place selected to watch the 

 geese as they come in for the evening ; for during the day the geese have been feeding on the 

 smooth, sloping hillsides. 



The hunter is careful to approach these lakes, lest he leave a foot-p'rint or other sign of his 

 presence, as the goose is ever on the alert for such traces and forsakes any lake that is suspected. 

 They will in such cases hover round and round, endeavoring to discover danger, and when satis- 

 fied that the lake has been visited by man, or that he is present, their loud cries give warning to 

 all the geese within hearing, as they quickly stream off and away to the head of the ravine from 

 which they came. After such an occurrence the hunter would just as well go home, or seek some 

 other locality, for no more geese will visit that lake until the next night. 



A night on which the sky is partly clouded 'and a light wind is blowing is the best. If the air 

 is calm, and the night bright, the still water reflects too strongly the outlines of the surrounding 

 hills, making the water inky black and renders it impossible to distinguish a goose sitting on the 

 water. 



At the time the geese are expected, each person has selected his place and remains quiet. On 

 the approach of the first flock for the night a low whistle from the hunter to his companion gives 

 signal. A low hunTc, hunk of the geese and a swirl of wings announce their approach. A straight 

 dash, or a few circles round the pond, and they settle. Shoot just as they alight and again as they 

 rise. Sometimes they become so confused as to enable the holder of a breech loader to get four shots 

 at a single flock. The dead geese serve as decoys, and soon many are added to those already killed. 

 The gentle wind slowly blows them ashore, while you are waiting for others. In a short time a 

 sufficient number is obtained. At an appointed time another native comes from the hut to help 

 bear home the geese. 



Another method is still pursued at this place, but as it is being superseded by the use of the 

 gun it will not be out of place to record it, as it is now adopted by the older men alone. 



A net is prepared in the following manner: Strips of whalebone about threefeet in length are tied 

 by cords at intervals of two inches apart, so that the length of the net may be thirty feet and three feet 

 high. The net is placed edgewise on the margin of a pond frequented bj geese in October. A stout 

 cord is secured to the end of the net, and firmly fastened to a peg in the ground. The other end is 

 secured in like manner. A long cord reaches from the middle and top of the net to the owner who 

 sits a convenient distance off' to be out of sight by the geese. On the approach of a flock of geese 

 to the pond they are not alarmed at the net, as the strips of whalebone stand on end and resemble 

 grass-stalks. They swim near the net; and, when sufficiently near, the cord held by the man is 

 jerked by him and causes the net to be thrown on the geese. The interstices of the net entangles 

 their heads, necks, and wings so they cannot fly. The hunter runs out to twist their necks and 

 again sets his net for another flock. This method was employed almost entirely before the use of 

 guns became general. 



In the earliest times, and before the advent of the Russians, they used another means to pro- 

 cure birds of all kinds, but especially geese and ducks. 



