Feb. 18, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
The Flight of Wild Geese. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Because this is a subject of interest to all the 
Io\ers of nature, I will give my solution of the 
problem. Fifty years ago I studied the question 
until I got an answer, which I thought then, 
and s.ili think, is the true reason why the wild 
geese adopted the wedge-shaped flight. 
Mv observations were made far inland in 
Maine. Nearly all the flocks that passed over 
im home were arranged in a triangular form. 
1 studied the flocks with a spy glass. My atten¬ 
tion was called early to the fact that there were 
often one or more geese within the triangle. 
My idea at flrst was that these geese in some 
way had failed "to touch elbows,” so to speak, 
but it was not long before I discovered a fact 
that gave me food for thought. It often hap¬ 
pened that when a goose within the triangle 
went back into line, another goose dropped out 
of the line and took its place. That this fall¬ 
ing out of line was not against the rules was 
evident. The honking did not change as would 
be the case if there had been any transgression 
of the law of flight. I noticed, too, that the 
number of geese within the triangle did not ex¬ 
ceed four, and two was the usual number. It 
was up to me to find the cause that led the geese 
to leave the line and to return. 
At tha 1 time I was deeply interested in natural 
history. 1 was aware that in nature’s law there 
was no result without its cause. When a goose 
dropped out of line to fly within the triangle, it 
was surely a result. What was the cause? One 
thing was evident. The cause was not con¬ 
nected with the earth, then it must reside wholly 
in the air, and doubtless was linked with flight 
These birds fly at the rate of about eighty miles 
an hour, and the resistance of the air certainly 
must weary the weaklings of the flock. 
Did these weaklings seek rest within the tri¬ 
angle: I thought they did and still think so. 
M hile within the triangle they surely did not 
labor against the resistance of the air, and per¬ 
haps the air within the triangle is carried along 
with the flight. Railroad trains, at much less 
speed, carry air in the rear of the last car. If 
this reasoning is correct, then the wild geese in¬ 
vented the wedge-shaped flight to afford rest to 
the ( weaklings of the flock. Said weaklings, 
probably, being young birds not fully matured.’ 
1 have used the word “invented” advisedly, 
notwithstanding some writers claim that man is 
the only animal that invents. It is a law of 
nature that every thing on earth had its be¬ 
ginning. If we examine a steam engine we can 
but admire its intricate mechanism, its speed 
and power when in action, but if we think back 
we will find that this wonderful creation had 
'is beginning in the lifting of a teakettle lid. A 
naturalist that goes afield with eyes to see and 
'rams to think knows that animals are inven- 
tors. Catbirds about my cabin make their nests 
. Stnn «- stri P s of cloth and bits of paper An 
invention beyond doubt. I saw a garden spider 
intent a way to make its web flat by putting 
on a stay line. I con’d fill a book with the in- 
tent.ons of animals that come to my cabin for 
tood and nesting material. 
Tour correspondent writes in relation to the 
geese finding their way south: 
My theory is that instinct is but little relied 
upon, and that it is a pure matter of training 
by the old patriarch of the tribe.” This true 
line of reasoning is somewhat weakened by a 
former statement. 
In the blackness of cloudy nights, in heavy 
fogs and blinding storms, you ask, how is it then 
the geese hold their way with such unerring cer¬ 
tainty? We know that their sight, while keen, 
is not of such phenomenal character that they 
can see under such conditions, * * * and here 
is where those who claim that it is the instinct 
of the birds that carries them safely through 
have the best of the argument.” 
I do not believe with your correspondent that 
these people “have the best of the argument.” I 
have two reasons for my disbelief. It cannot be 
true because there is no such thing as instinct 
in nature, and because there are logical reasons 
why the geese find their way without resorting 
to a miracle. 1 ake fog, for instance. It is low- 
lymg, and the geese could easily rise above it and 
see the high hills and mountains. My own ex¬ 
perience leads me to believe that wild geese 
at the present day can follow the coast line on 
stormy nights by the sense of sight. During 
twenty-six years I have returned to my cabin 
on scores of stormy nights. As yet I have had 
no difficulty in finding the way, and certainly 
birds possess a sense of sight far keener than 
mine. W hen ’coon hunting, on dark nights, I 
have often started grouse from a tree. The 
bird always hurls itself through the thick growth 
without accident. Ihink how keen must be the 
sight that on dark nights would enable a bird 
as large as a grouse to avoid the network of 
limbs and branches in a low forest. 
Here is another view. Rain clouds float 
usually under a mile in height. The geese could 
rise above and regulate their flight by the stars. 
We know the geese regulate their flight by land¬ 
marks. It is fully as logical to assume that they 
regulate their flight by the stars above them, as 
they do by the earth below them. Hermit. 
Mr. Tolerton’s Work. 
Doniphan, Mo., Jan. 20.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: At no time has the State of Missouri 
bad such good game laws as at present, nor 
have they ever been better enforced. A two- 
years’ test has been given the laws, and the re¬ 
sults have been beyond expectation. Fortunately 
the department had at the head of it a man who 
believed in the game laws and their enforcement, 
and the State should be proud of its game and 
fish commissioner, Jesse A. Tolerton. 
In certain sections the law has not met with 
the approval of the native element, and it fol¬ 
lowed that the officials in these parts that de¬ 
pend on votes from this class showed great hos¬ 
tility toward attempts of the deputies to enforce 
the law to the letter. The license fee of $1 was 
the chief point of contention. They argued that 
it was perfectly correct for residents of the 
cities to pay for licenses, but the native or resi¬ 
dent of the county should be permitted to hunt 
without paying a fee. Again they became in¬ 
censed because deputy wardens were sent into 
their territory informing everyone that the local 
officers were fully capable of taking care of the 
enforcement of the law, one official stating in 
print that he would not recognize in his court 
the authority of any game warden. It certainly 
was a humorous opinion, his claim being that 
they were imported by city sportsmen. Certainly 
he had little knowledge of what he was 
discussing, for every complaint that came to the 
State warden from that section was filed by 
resident farmers of good repute who simply 
could not stand the outrageous violations that 
occurred in some of the counties over which this 
judge presided. 
1 hey knew the futility of making complaint to 
the local officers and feared destruction of stock 
or other methods of revenge if it leaked that 
they had made a complaint. One county attor¬ 
ney stooped so low in his campaign for re-elec¬ 
tion that he publicly made the license law an 
issue, and some I am told he promised protec¬ 
tion against arrest for hunting without license if 
they voted for him. The same official is re¬ 
ported to have hunted deer several days prior 
to the open season, and this has been affirmed 
by reliable witnesses. It amused me very much 
when this good judge came out with his opinion, 
for I had just come from a trip in the pineries 
in his district. 
The deer at the time were obliged to go to 
small ponds on the ridges for water unless they 
made the long trip to either river. What a sight 
it was to see the trees close to these scarce 
water holes; they were full of men, looking like 
a host of buzzards watching for their carrion. 
Every one had a gun. I saw the same thing 
at the five water holes I visited. There was no 
secret about it; no local officer could help know¬ 
ing that this was going on even if he had not 
been on the alert to secure necessary in forma- 
tion on which to base a complaint. 
An identical state of affairs existed at the licks 
during spring. Does carrying young were not 
spared, but shot down when they came within 
range of the violators’ guns. One large female 
was shot at a lick, but got away and wandered 
with her death wound 'until, exhausted, she fell 
against a wire fence. A small girl returning 
from school found her and reported it to her 
father, who went with help to the scene. They 
brought the doe to their farm and gave it every 
attention possible, but she died next morning. 
1 his man had some skill as a taxidermist. When 
he went to mount the doe he found two female 
fawns that would have been dropped in a week. 
1 he attitude of some office holders has so in¬ 
censed some of the larger land holders that they 
state that if these officials serve another term, 
they will withdraw their lands from public hunt¬ 
ing. But except in these few localities the fish 
and game commission has found the authorities 
willing to do their duty in every instance. 
The work of the commissioner, especially to¬ 
ward the fishing interests, deserves praise. He 
has kept, the streams well patrolled by war¬ 
dens, so that dynamiting, seining fish, trapping 
and these means of existence have become 
dangerous and one can rest assured of good 
fishing in the future. Mr. Tolerton’s adminis- 
tiation has been not only one of enforcement 
of the law, but one of education. The farming 
class has learned the benefits to be derived, and 
now favors the law where a few years ago they 
were in the majority against it. \\ hatever change 
the present Legislature makes in the law, whether 
of material benefit or the contrary, it will re¬ 
main strongly in the mind of the hunting public 
that no game laws can ever be enforced by using 
the local officers alone. They have too many 
other irons in the fire to make them efficient. 
J. B. Thompson. 
