^86 
nnie md 0m. 
Proprietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stream. 
American Wildfowl and How to 
Take Them.*— V. 
&Y GEORGE BIRD GRINNELU j 1 _ 
[Continued from page 246.] 
Canada Goose, 
Branta canadensis (Linn.), 
Of all the so-called gray geese, the most common and 
best known is the Canada goose. Of this there are four 
different forms — the Canada goose, Branta canadensis; 
Hutchins' goose, Branta canadensis hutchinsii; white- 
cheeked goose, Branta canadensis occidentalis; and cackling 
goose, Branta canadensis minima. Of these the 
common wild goose and Hutchins' goose are distributed 
over the whole United States, the latter being chiefly 
■ Western in its distribution, while the white-cheeked or 
Western goose and the cackling goose are exclusively 
Western, although the last named occasionally occurs in 
the Mississippi Valley. 
The Canada goose has a triangular white patch on 
each cheek, the two meeting under the throat, though 
rarely they are separated by a black line. The head, 
neck, wing quills, rump and tail are black; the lower 
of the body. "This white collar," Mr. Ridgw^y writes 
me, "is a seasonal character^ and may occur in all the 
sub-species. It fades out in summer and reappears with 
the fresh molt in autumn. Of this fact I had proof in a 
domesticated Hutchins' goose which my father had for 
eight or ten years." The back and wings are slightly 
paler than in the Canada goose, while the feathers of 
the breast are perhaps a little darker. The tail feathers 
are i8 to 20, as in the Canada goose; the bird's length 
is from 33 to 36 inches, wing 18 inches or less. This sub- 
specis is also called the white-cheeked goose. 
Branta canadensis minima (Ridgw.). 
The cackling goose bears the same relation to the West- 
ern goose that Hutchins' does to the Canada goose, ex- 
cept that the difference in size is much greater. The tail 
feathers are 14 to 16; the length of the bird is about 24 
inches. The coloring is almost exactly that of the West- 
ern goose; wing about 14 inches. 
Of these four forms, the Canada goose is the only 
one of general distribution throughout North America. 
It is found from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, 
and from the Atlantic to the Pacific; and during the 
mm*. 
CANADA GOOSE. 
CACKLING GOOSE. 
migrations is abundant in New England, as well as over 
the more sparsely settled parts of the country. On the 
Pacific coast it is less common than the Western goose, but 
inland it is found in jiumbers. 
The common wild goose is an early migrant, and often 
passes North while the waters are still sealed in their icy 
fetters. Soon after its arrival in the North, however, 
iWiftfw;^^^ the water becomes open, and the birds mate and separate 
Siis«jfe to select their summer homes. The six or eight eggs arc 
i5;j?ss^3^ laid in ne^ts, sometimes in the marshes, sometimes on 
higher land, not far from water, and again on the broken- 
■'.■■-••y-''kf:^-:^-J'jPrl-''~?fi^^0^^^^^^^ off stubs of trees, or even in a nest among the branches, 
' - - - - ^ iiigh above the ground. The eggs are ivory white, and 
are carefully brooded by the mother bird. Early in 
Jmie the young arc hatched and taken to the water. 
Usually they are accompanied by both parents, and at 
belly, upper and under tail covers white; the upper this time ,if danger approaches, they follow the mother 
parts are dark gravish-brown, the feathers with paler a long Ime, nnitatmg her movements, smknlg lower 
tips, and the lower parts are gray, fading gradually and lower m the water as she smks in her attempt to hide, 
into the white of the belly. The tail feathers number finally diving and scattering under the water when 
from eighteen to twenty. The bird's length is from 36 ^^'^^ dives. Soon after the young birds appear the old ones 
to 40 inches, wing 18. The young are similar to the '^egm ^ molt, and this is a period of danger for them, 
adult, but the white cheek patches are sometimes marked '"any being killed a£ this time by the Eskimos and the 
with black, and the black of the neck fades gradually Indians. 
into the grayish of the breast. along the Missouri River and' its tributaries, and 
„ ^ , on-i\ lalccs scattcred over the gr»at plains, the Canada 
Branta canadensis hutchmsn (Sw. & Rich.). goose formerly bred in considerable numbers, and twenty 
Hutchins' goose exactly resembles the Canada goose years ago broods of these birds were commonly seen dur- 
in color, but is smaller, and has fourteen or sixteen tail ing the summer along these rivers and Upon the prairies 
near these little lakes. The settlement of the Western 
country, however, has made such breeding places no longer 
'■■;iiiiil('iVniii})uiMti^^^ a-^'-ailable, and the geese are therefore obliged to journey 
'mmm m^^^ '^^^ ^'^^^'^ ''^^"•■'^ '■^^'■^"S ^^eir young. 
(immiMlMMimm^^^^^^^ _ The wild goose is readily domesticated, and this fact 
WnilMlmilh, taken advantage of by gunners, who capture crippled 
birds, keep them until cured, and subsequently use them 
Wilm'' decoys to draw the passing flocks within gunshot of 
M'Wf'i! P.'^^"^^ concealment. Not infrequently the geese 
iilim*'' hreed in confinement, though it is probable this does not 
Wlllm'' take place until the females are three years old. Some- 
limes such domesticated geese, when tethered out as 
decoys, escape and swim off to join tlocks of wild geese, 
but as the tame ones commonly cannot fly, they are left 
lr^.■s35^f^/«7;*•■^•'i■;\*uv.,xtw);^^^^^^ behind by the flocks when these move away, and fre- 
quently turn about and make their way back to the place 
^^^^^Ci'^i^B^^i^:^^}^^^ "''^i^'"'^ th^'^ ^''^^'ow captives are confined. A case of this 
"^'"'*"^' ' *" sort came uiKler my notice in Currituck Sound in Jan- 
HUTCHiNS' GOOSE. uary, 1900, when an old gander belonging to the Nar- 
rows Island Club, that had slipped his loops and gotten 
feathers. The length of Hutchins' goose is about 30 »way, made his way back, after three weeks of freedom, 
inches, wing 16 inches or over. nearly to the goose pen where the rest of the stand were 
' _ , , ,• /T) • j\ kept. The superintendent of the club had heard the goose 
Branta canadensis occidentahs (Baird). calling for several days and recognized his voice, and 
The Western goose closely resembles the Canada goose, after considerable search found him in one of the little 
although it is slightly smaller. At the base of the black leads in the island. 
The flight of the wild goose is firm, swift and steady, 
-^-r" ' ^ ''.C The birds commonly fly in a A or triangle, though 
.'sometimes they spread out into a great crescent whose 
^ ' convexity is directed forward. 
The alertness and wariness of this bird have become 
proverbial, and when at rest, either on the land or 
water, it is particularly watchful and difficult of ap- 
teS^s^SES proach, _ Geese are exceedingly gregarious, and where 
a flock is resting on the water all birds passing near 
them are likely to lower their flight, and after making 
one or two circles in the air, to join the resting birds. For 
this reason, when flying alone or in companies of two or 
three, the goose may readily be called up to certain points 
_ by an imitation of its cry. Where^^geese are abundant it is 
^^^■^ — ^ exceedingly common for the gunners to call such siingle 
birds to within gunshot. 
In windy weather the geese, when their flight obliges 
them to face the gale, fly low. and often barely top the 
reeds of the marshes among which they arc wintering. 
In foggy weather, or when snow is falling, they also fly 
low, keeping close to the water, apparently looking for 
a place in which to alight. At such times they come 
neck there is a distinct white collar running around the decoys with especial readiness Sometimes in foggy 
xieck, and separating the black from the gray and brown weather, when flying over the land, they become ap- 
i parently confused and fly about in circles, as if they had 
^ .•From advaace •heets of "Th« Book of Duck ShootinB." qtlite lost their way. 
WHITE-CHEEKED GOOSE. 
Hutchins' goose, though so like the Canada goose iij 
coloring, differs from it in habits. Its breeding place 
is further to the North, and is on the coast near the salt 
water. There their nests are usually constructed in 
marshes near the sea, but Audubon quotes Captain Ross 
as stating that they sometimes breed on ledges of the 
cliffs. In winter this species is found in California and 
in Texas; and on the Pacific coast great numbers are 
killed from blinds, and also from behind domestic animals, 
trained to • gradually approach them as if feeding. 
Hutchins' goose is common in Alaska, and is reported 
there by all the explorers. Mr. Macfarlane found them 
also breeding on the shores and islands of the Arctic Sea. 
Whether the Hutchins goose is found at all on the 
North Atlantic coast appears to be an unsettled question. 
The books and the gunners alike state that it used to be 
found there, but if it occurs at present it is very unusual. 
Like the Canada goose, the Plutchins goose sometimes 
has its nest in trees. A case of this kind is cited by 
Dr. Brewer, who states that in one instance four eggs of 
this species were found in the deserted nest of a gj-ow or 
hawk, built in the fork of a pine tree and at a height of 
9 feet. The parent bird was shot on the nest. 
Besides the ordinary book names applied to this species, 
j.Vlr. Gurdon Trumbull, in his admirable "Names and 
Portraits of Birds," quotes Eskimo goose, mud goose, 
goose brant, marsh goose and prairie goose, as well as 
the general term, brant, which is commonly applied to all 
the smaller geese. Mr. Elliot says that among the 
Aleutians this bird is called the tundrina goose. 
The habits of the cackling goose do not appear to 
differ at all from those of the Canada goose, but its range 
is a very narrow one, being restricted during the summer 
to the Bering seacoast of Alaska, its principal breeding 
place being the shores of Norton Sound, It does not 
occur during the breeding season anywhere south of the 
^Aliaska Peninsula, the breeding birds from Cook's Inlet 
southward being the white-cheeked goose. During mi- 
gration it extends along the Pacific coast as far as Cali- 
fornia, but the birds seen in summer along the inlets of 
the British Columbia and Alaska coast are not this species 
but the white-cheeked goose. It reaches California in 
its southward migration about the middle of October, and 
departs again for the North in April. 
Suggestions for a Tropical Game 
Preserve. 
The idea of making a game preserve 6ft the extensive 
properties owned by the South American Land and Ex- 
ploration Company, Limited, suggested itself to the com- 
pany's manager because of the great abundance of game 
And the easy accessibility of the property. 
Big- game is disappearing, and even in South America 
one must be prepared to endure fatiguing marches and 
long days in the saddle before, under ordinary circum- 
stances, a jjlaee can be reached where big game is really 
abundant. 
The plan proposed is lo put the administration of game 
regulations on the company's property under the direc- 
tion of Forest and Stream, and to give to the subscribers 
of that paper the privilege of hunting over the property. 
A description of the place and the real truth about hunt- 
ing for big game in South America is as follows: 
The lands are situated near Colombia, South America, 
on the northern slopes of the Serra Nevada de Santa 
Marta, a rough range of mount^ns facing the Caribbean 
Sea, but little known, and contSining great stretches of 
forest land, interior valleys and lofty peaks that have 
never been visited by a white man. Within these region i 
every chmate can be found, from the luxuriance of the 
most fertile tropics to the barren regions of perpetual 
snow among the lofty interior ranges. Strange Indian 
tribes inhabit the remote valleys, and wild magnificent 
scenery not excelled by any, however famous, rewards 
the eye of the traveler and explorer. 
To reach this region one must first go to Curacao, t^^e 
principal island among the Dutch West Indies, easy of 
access via the Royal Dutch Mail and the Red D Line of 
steamers. From Curacao a little schooner is taken to 
Riohacha, in the Republic of Colombia. This sail is the 
only unpleasant part of the trip, but at present there is 
no other means of communication. One is on the 
.schooner about two days. The voyage is always rapid, 
because the trade winds and ocean currents sweep con-'' 
timiously along the coast toward Riohacha. 
Arriving oft' this ancient city, one sees a collection of 
low huts along the seashore with perhaps a dozen more 
pretentious buildings. The little schooner comes to an- 
chor in a protected roadstead, the waves rocking it con- 
tinuously, though not with violence. Presently a large 
canoe capable of holding several tons puts out fr9m the 
shore, bringing the custom house officials. There is little 
ceremony entering the port of Riohacha. It is away from 
the general line of travel, and but little merchandise is 
to be inspected. The traveler usually finds that the visit 
of the authorities is in reality not an inspection but a 
pleasant welcome to the once busy city of Riohacha. The 
entry of the vessel is quickly made, papers are inspected 
and the traveler is at liberty to go on shore at his con- 
venience, and he is usually glad to get there after the 
cramped quarters and rough fare of the schooner. Ar- 
riving at the shore one must be carried ingloriously 
thromgh the low surf and dumped on the sand, while a 
crowd of men and boys fight and struggle for one's bag- 
gage, which must be first taken to the custom house and 
later to whatever rooms the traveler may engage. There 
are no hotels in Riohacha. Before leaving Curacao the 
traveler will have equipped himself with a sleeping ham- 
mock, a mosquito bar and other necessities _ of tropical 
life. These are quickly arranged, and one is at home. 
In a short time visitors begin to drop in. A traveler going 
to the company's property will have all necessary letters 
of introduction, and will immediately receive^ the atten- 
tions of the most prominent people, and will probably 
find good friends among them. 
The ancient city of Riohacha is interesting, old and 
rather dirty. The traveler is in a novel situation miles 
away from the beaten track, among a population made up 
of Indians, negroes, Spanish-Americans and the represent- 
atives of a few proud old families. 
The Indians are the most picturesque, and crowd about 
one eager to see and delighted to show all their belong- 
