CANADA GOOSE 
THE millions of migrants that stream 
across the sky every spring and autumn, 
none attract so much attention as the wild 
geese. How their mellow honk, honk thrills 
one when the birds pass like ships in the night! 
Such big, strong, rapid flyers have little to fear 
in travelling by daylight too, but gunners have 
taught them the wisdom of keeping up so high 
that they look like mere specks. It must be 
a very dull child without imagination, who is 
not stirred by the flight of birds that are 
launched on a journey of at least two thousand 
miles. Don’t you wish you were as familiar 
with the map as these migrants must be? 
Usually geese travel in a wedge-shaped flock, 
headed by some old, experienced leader; but 
sometimes, with their long necks outstretched, 
they follow one another in Indian file and shoot 
across the clouds as straight as an arrow. 
Geese spend much more time on land than 
ducks do. If you will study the habits of the 
common barnyard goose you will learn many 
of the ways of its wild relations that nest too 
far north to be watched by every child.” 
Canada geese that have been wounded by 
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