Oct. 30, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
their nests a shorter distance away. The birds 
are strictly monogamous. In the fall, all de¬ 
formed or undersized birds are disposed of, and 
only the largest and finest are kept. Many young 
'birds are sold for ornamental purposes and for 
decoys. 
According to Mr. Whealton and the men who 
have charge of the birds there seem to be two 
so-called races, known as the Northern and the 
Southern wild geese. The latter are smaller 
and darker and differ greatly in their habits. 
They are very wild, never becoming tame; are 
sly and tricky, of a cowardly disposition, and do 
not interbreed with the other race. They have 
been eliminated from the flock because of their 
undesirable traits, but a few are kept by other 
teople, as they breed fairly well. 
The geese are plucked three or four times 
■ach year, beginning with May 1, and from then 
on at intervals of seven weeks. All of the con- 
our feathers with the exception of those of the 
vings, tail and neck are taken, the down of 
ourse being left. An average adult bird yields 
ibout fine-third of a pound at a picking, and 
he market value of these feathers is about fifty 
ents a pound. The first picking (May 1) occurs 
i'hen the birds are tending their young. It 
tops to a certain extent the fighting which is 
lways going on at this time both by reducing 
ie strength of the birds and by making it less 
asy for them to obtain a good hold, or to strike 
ach other with their wings. The first and last 
luckings yield the heaviest feathers, the mid- 
-immer plumage being lighter. At these times 
large party of men and boys corral the geese 
:om various parts of the island into a large 
m. As the geese are picked they are liberated. 
That Chincoteague Island is adapted not only 
,)r the rearing of wild geese alone is shown 
r the success which Mr. Whealton has had 
ith other species of water birds. The swans 
-mute, whooping and black—are simply turned 
it in pairs, separated from others. They are 
•pt there continually, and when once they have 
arted to breed, they continue to do so every 
ar. All of the paddocks have plenty of for- 
e, but the birds ^.re fed daily on wheat and 
rn. During the present year the black swans 
ade their nest and laid their eggs when the 
ow was on the ground, hatching their young 
February, when the pond was frozen tight, 
hole was cut in the ice and the young, four 
; number, were successfully raised. 
Hybrids have been produced between Canada 
Use (“Northern” race) and Toulouse, Embden 
;d Chinese geese. These hybrids lay eggs, but 
by are never fertile. 
^rosses between the common and snow geese 
b fertile and have been bred back to pure 
•)ws for several generations, the hybrids being 
istinguishable from pure-blooded snow geese. 
- ulouse hybrids are very large birds with the 
ly color of a Toulouse, but with the head and 
'■k very nearly white. They are invariably 
> rile. 
he Chinese hybrids, when young, are a shade 
1 ker than the Canada geese. When they reach 
• lit plumage they become lighter in color, and 
»y one who is accustomed to them can dis- 
'ruish them from pure-blooded Canada geese, 
he snow geese hybrids were originally pro- 
ed with a white common goose and a snow 
der. The offspring are usually white with 
'k wings and sometimes dark tails also. They 
retain the mandibular hollow of the snow geese. 
When this hybrid is bred back with the pure 
snow, a white goose is produced that can be 
told from the pure snow goose only by the very 
slightly smaller size. 
The only successful method of hybridizing is 
by confining a selected pair of geese together in 
a paddock. In the majority of cases the birds 
refuse to mate. 
Black ducks are kept in a paddock of about 
four acres containing a fresh water pond well 
supplied with lettuce and eel grass, of which 
the birds are very fond. Tall grass, weeds and 
bushes are thick, and the birds breed usually 
among this low vegetation. During the present 
year seventy-five young black, ducks were 
hatched, but every one was killed by a mur¬ 
derous Egyptian gander. Black ducks are wild 
in disposition and will mate only in large pad- 
• docks. 
The snow goose lays its eggs on the ground 
near the water in an inclosed paddock, the eggs 
usually not being fertile. In 1900, however, four 
young snow geese were half raised, but were 
killed by dogs. The common brant geese mate, 
but never lay. 
The Reindeer of Labrador. 
St. John’s, N. F., Oct. 15 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In an article republished from another 
journal that appeared in Forest and Stream re¬ 
cently, the writer spoke rather disparagingly of 
Dr. Grenfell’s experiment in transplanting a herd 
of reindeer from Alaska to Northern Newfound¬ 
land and Labrador. 
I saw one other unfavorable criticism in a 
local paper written by someone up north who 
evidently had a grievance. This writer ridiculed 
the idea of the reindeer ever being of any prac¬ 
tical use to the community and advocated the 
continued use of dogs. 
This man appears to be one of a class ever 
ready to oppose anything savoring of the intro¬ 
duction of improvements. 
If the reindeer were good for nothing else but 
as a food supply Dr. Grenfell would be a bene¬ 
factor to that region on that account alone. Sev¬ 
eral incidents have been reported lately of dogs 
attacking their drivers and others, and in some 
cases with fatal results to the unfortunate vic¬ 
tims. It is claimed by people who profess to 
know that deer and other game are driven miles 
inland out of the reach of residents by those 
voracious brutes. It is a’so reported that sev¬ 
eral of the exploring parties that were up north 
last season had as a last resort to “eat dog.” 
In a late letter Dr. Grenfell reports that the 
herd of reindeer is doing magnificently. It has 
increased from 200 to over 600, and it is expected 
that in a very short time this number will be 
doubled. What an asset for this bleak territory 
where there is no fresh meat, excepting seal and 
an odd polar bear, no milk, cream or fresh 
butter, to be had even for people in the last ex¬ 
tremity of sickness. These increasing herds of 
reindeer will supply in plenty all needs and even 
luxuries. 
In conversation with Judge Morris, who made 
an official visit to Labrador and spent the whole 
season there, adjudicating on all matters of dis¬ 
pute between the residents, temporary and per- 
manept, he spoke enthusiastically of Dr. Gren¬ 
fell’s various philanthropic measures for the 
GO A 
betterment of the people, especially of the intro¬ 
duction of reindeer, and I further understood 
that the judge had embodied these sentiments in 
his official report to the Governor. 
Testimony such as this coming from an un¬ 
biassed observer like Judge Morris is the highest 
and best evidence needed to prove that Dr. Gren¬ 
fell is doing grand and much needed service to 
the inhabitants of these bleak regions. The rein¬ 
deer herd is no longer an experiment; it is an 
unqualified success, and each year will confirm 
the belief that its introduction into Labrador was 
the best thing known in the history of that part 
of the world. Their rapid increase is marvel¬ 
ous, while the increase of the cost of food and 
help is practically nil. 
When the people get rid of their dogs and 
adjust themselves to the new conditions, which 
no doubt will take a little time, it will be found 
that the introduction of reindeer into Labrador 
was the very best economic experiment that 
could be tried, and the results even to-day fully 
justify Dr. Grenfell and those who assisted and 
encouraged him in the arduous undertaking. 
W. J. Carroll. 
Cause of Scarcity of the Grouse. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
While in the Adirondacks this fall a new ex¬ 
planation of the grouse scarcity was suggested 
by a close observer for many years. I say new 
explanation, for I have not met it otherwise than 
in the conversation to which reference is made. 
1 he man who made the suggestion is an experi¬ 
enced sportsman and naturalist. He said in sub¬ 
stance : 
I believe the greatest enemy of the grouse is 
the owl family and particularly the barred owl. 
Formerly one could shoot all the owls he wished, 
but now for several years they have been pro¬ 
tected. What is the result? We all know. It 
is almost impossible to get a bird where for¬ 
merly they were plenty.” 
He then named several localities near at hand 
where formerly he could go and be almost cer¬ 
tain of one to three grouse in an hour—places 
he had but lately visited without flushing one. 
He brought a young bird dog into the woods, 
but could not train him because there were al¬ 
most no birds. He then spoke of the fact that 
many blame the foxes for the scarcity of grouse, 
hut said he firmly believed that theory a mis¬ 
take and gave the following incident in support 
of his belief. Only the day previous in a wood 
road he found the remains of a partridge. Care¬ 
ful investigation showed the murderer to be an 
owl and not a fox. First, the bird was eaten in 
the road where killed; an owl would do this, a 
fox never; he would carry his prey to cover 
before eating it. Second, the head was cut off 
and left upon the ground. An owl does this; 
a fox begins by eating the head. Third, some 
other portions were left in accordance with owl 
custom, which a fox would have eaten entire. 
To this trained observer the story of this tragedy 
of the woods was plain as the printed page and 
he said it would be to anyone familiar with the 
habits and ways of the different denizens of the 
forest. He further declared that the case de¬ 
scribed was only one out of many that he had 
observed, and that their testimony was all in 
support of his theory and against the owl. 
Juvenal. 
