288 
SWIMMERS. 
their cherished ranks ; they approach the object, and it is but a 
domestic traitor of their species, or the well-imitated call of 
the wily fowler. Towards evening, desirous of relieving the 
toil and hunger of his adventurous band, the intelligent leader 
reconnoitres from his lofty station the resting-place of his 
charge ; he espies the reedy river or silent lake, whose grassy 
margins offer the necessary supply and cover to their lodg- 
ment. His loud call now redoubles at the pleasing prospect, and 
they all alight, and silently repose in darkness upon the still 
water. Early in the morning they renew their wandering 
course, and according to the time and season, visit every part 
of the Union, to the shores of the Mexican Gulf. 
dhe autumnal flight of the Canada Geese to the coast of 
Hudson Bay, and their residence there, continues for three 
weeks or a month previous to their departure for the South, 
which usually takes place in September. Early in October 
they arrive on the coasts of the Eastern and Middle States. 
The residents of Hudson Bay depend greatly on Geese for 
their supply of winter provision ; and according to Hutchins, 
in favorable years they kill three or four thousand, and bar- 
rel them up for use. These are obtained chiefly by means 
of ambuscade and decoy, bough-huts being made by the 
Indians in lines over the marshes they frequent to feed. 
Mimicking their call, they are brought within gunshot, and the 
deception is also enhanced by stales and setting up the dead 
birds on sticks, in living attitudes. Thus in a good day a 
single native will kill as many as two hundred. When the 
frosts begin, the Geese are readily preserved, with the feath- 
ers on, in a frozen state, and thus affbrd a durable supply of 
fresh provision. The feathers also constitute an article of 
commerce. 
In the shallow bays and marshy islands some Geese continue 
the whole winter in New Jersey and the Southern States, through 
which they spread themselves to the very extremity of Florida. 
1 heir principal food is the sedge roots and other herbage ; they 
also crop l/Ajas and tender marine plants, and swallow quanti- 
ties of gravel. They swim with ease and elegance, and when 
