1898 
November 4 
C^^da 
Geese in 
the river 
****** **** * 
At about 8 A. M. Chadbourne and I discovered three 
Canada Geese floating on the river a little below Birch 
Island. We saw them first from Davis’s Hill. Making a cir¬ 
cuit through the woods we approached them from behind Birch 
Island, but they had swum further down stream and close to 
eastern 
the rabln shore. Presently two of them entered the grass 
and began feeding the third bird, a very large gander, 
keeping watch, floating on the open water with head and neck 
erect. When we showed ourselves, all three birds drew 
together and swam out but we did not hear any alarm note 
given nor did the birds fly. In fact we left them in the 
water after looking at them as long as we wished. 
the 
At noon Chadbourne crossed/river to visit the spring 
in Parker's pasture. On nearing the shore 60 or more yards back 
from the river on the flooded meadow he passed a single Goose 
within forty yards. The bird did not fly but merely 
paddled off through the thin, half-submerged grass. I went 
in search of it with my gun, on Chadbourne's return, but I 
could not find it nor could I see any signs of the other 
Geese although I paddled down river nearly to Birch Island. 
No shots were fired down river and no boats passed during 
the entire day. At evening I paddled down to Carlisle 
Bridge and back, but saw nothing except a large flock of 
Blackbirds which I took to be Cow-birds. 
