The weekly clarion., 1870-12-22

Interesting Article ON rs Noble
Forest bird.


What has become Of the Wild veeasP
These JOurneying water fowl, says che Hart
ford Times, whose scmi-nuuuui mlgrhtIUuH
proclaim the beginning aud end of wlntar.
seem not 10 have been seen or heard since
4 their northward flight about the bppInuIur
| ~ last April Observers of the weather
! say the flight Of the Wild geese, going north
| iu March or April, o. always tho Sign OF
| rapidly following warm weather; thc upa
proach Of the true season 81 spring, ltmay
have Teen spring by che almanac for u
l month or more, but until the welcome nUa
| proach of the wedged shaped nuCks OF Wild
geese, swiftly winRlnR their lony Night t1
| the north, the saRrs whom Emerson calls
| the prophets OF the natural year." do uut
| look for the approach Of spring lu reality.
| March, la this climate, D. apt 90 belle il
| reputation for "gOiug ont like "a lamb"
| Raw Winds from thc northeast, keen vest
| ern gales, abundant clouds and occasional
| dashcs Of snow, are very often itH parting
salutatOns. Wearicd with the louR 1vint0r.
| aud with the lingering aleet, mud and
| 'rpOsh," which spoil the walking in city Or
country, and make the dead brown fields
dOubly desolate in the Rhrill March wind.
one looks eagerly for natures signs chat
these lepgthening days, these broken CLEANS
of March sunshine, aud these nrgt welcome
notes of the blue-bird, arc in reality che
heralds OF spring. That assurance d. given
In the appearance Of the wild geese. iH
some still night Of early April, ln tho pauaca
Of the sObbng south wind and softly ialIlug
rain, one hears, perhaps, for tho hrst time
tho Wtld, half-Hpblin cry or "a n rthwnr0
passing hock of those great migrating
birds. Not more welcome ls the myriad
voiced evening concert Of the newly
awakened frogs, than the half-mCtalIlc
honk hOnki Of the geese. Both sounds
proclaim the end OF winter-thc arrival Of
spring. They tell of warmer brighter
longer days; of brooks and ponds sbrollau
uD;" OF the robins song, tho black birds
call OF deepening tint Of green upon th0
grass Of freshly opening beds " oarly
blooming flowers: they proclaim the nrFl-
val OF the time for clearing on and rukIng
up the rubbish and ruins of the long, hard
winter. aud for the spring cleaning and
preparation Of grounds and garden.
30 Of the returning hght Of these migrn-
tory fowls In the fall. Commonly they como
sweeping down like cloud ~ autumnu
leaves lost la the tempest and the aky,
about the close Of October; their long, cone
verging columns contracted Into point.
consisting Of one old patriarch leader uf
Tie flock their windy cries miuRing with
the northern blast, in an uncertain elln
tone; and the whole company, with long,
outstretchcd necks, making the best pos8i-
BILE time Tor the warmer latitudes. They
herald the approach Of winter. They come
now, from the far gulfs and bays Of lnbrn-
dor, and from the yet more "borehl climeH
Of the Pole For these strange birds ln
countless millions, make their summer
hauuts aud breeding places far 30 tbe north.
some 90 well up into the Arctic Circle aa
far north as open water can be found. FO8-
sibly they penetrate the central iastncss or
the polar zone, and linda ncsting-pla Ou
the shores Of that mysterious "upon HCn,"
which marks the location Itself on the
earth's northern pole. IN may BEG Tor She
New London sailor In Or. hanea party
who obtained view that mysierlout and
lonely water found II peOpled with water
fowls, albeit the time was winter HOwcv-
er that may be, the sOuthward light Of tha
geese which occurs in the hul, is believed
to indicate the approach Of cold weather.
What has become ot them this Year,
las any body seen or heard Of them De-
cemberis upon uE and NJ winter sets lu
without filling up the lower springs, and
without the annual November migration Of
the wild geese there will be- weather proph-
ets ready % predict all sorts Of queer wln-
ter. Can IL be that the mysterious "lnstinct'
of the geese led them 20 count uponthh un-
exceptionally fine fail and 10 aclay lltlr
southward fight month later than usual
The mysterious perception, or principle
called instincts 10 another name Tor rta-
son Y--is a. strong iu the Wild goose aa Boa
the beaver or the Arctic fox. Like tho
quail and the partridge instincts thrpuGh
almost any amOuntOt civilized trainluK-
Flocks Of these great birds used sometimes
10 alight 10 their spring or f-il miRrnu0na
upon Snipsie Lake, before tie now noursh-
ing manufacturing village of kockVtht
arose, with ~ huge tand claticrinE WoQifn
mills as result q 4 that splendid water pow
arst mill at the outlet Of The lake nnd tuere
the owner lived with his family a mock
of southwark nyinR geese came doWn upon
the lake, and some Of them were SHOTS one
OF them. a gigantic gray ganderi being cap
tured alive aud but little nurt His wings
were clipped, and he became one OF the
home flock OF domestic geese about the
place, growing 80 tame the next summer
that he was accustomed 70 enter the milleru
kitchen, while the family were at dinner
reach up his long neck, seize n piece Of bread
or meat and make OF with it re became
the head Of the barnyard flock. and hae ap-
parently forgotten the Wild freedom ~ hta
old rowing life and IL Journeys from eleel
land % Texas. One November h9WeteG
his ear caught the old familiar honkl h9nAl
Of migrating flock Of bic old con- pAnl2nA
flying over at a vast height rom tne eAItui
The old. wild feeling Instantly pea8easen
him, and. stretehing out Die nov luly
grown wing. be suddenly SCARED up from
tba r,idat IN lis tame cousins and with loud
answsring or e. winged his sNin way % the
vsnIsbing triangle In the sky, and Joined
the wild geese In their far dight 70 tho
south.