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 1 spring up on my feet, the Geese shuffle, and instantaneously rise 
upright ; I touch my triggers singly, and broken-winged and dead two birds 
came 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 Palls 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 
