The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-11-09
ing through the ranks Of the enemy,
and the hero sank by his gun to rise no
Wlld Geese In ile West.

Much cunning Is exhibited by these
birds In localities where they are ffe-
duently disturbed. We have often seen
them, says writer, in the great swapps
Of the Bureau Valley, along the nli-
ttois, come In about dark, when 1t was
Just too late to draw q sight, hoiselessly
stealing along 80 as 10 eYads the ran.
dom shot OF the hunter returning to
camp after q long days work. SO at
taehed are they TO their old grounds,
and 80 liable 10 be pursued at night by
reckless adventurous, that after q few
warnings they battle the most irtelE-
gent. Should their line OF entry bO
discovered tonight as they come across
the marsh from the south, tomorrow
night, II you watch, you may hear the
vibration Of their wings as they pass
oTer the timber 10 the north, In their
approach TO the old fiCe pond OF open
water OF the big slough. Upon all
other occasions, and also when dis.
turbed, they exhibit their usual pro.
pensity TO indulge in gabble and goose
talk. The most prominent among tho
varieties in the West is the Canadian
goose. The next, and existing In great
numbers, Is the white.fronted or laugh.
ing goose, called by many "brant." OF
the regular brentgoosc we have but
few. We killed one out Of o flock in
the Illinois river, in 1850, on a sand.
bar, aud believe II is the only flock we
ever saw in that valley. The brent
goose Is about half the size OF the Cana
dian variety, and is about two.thirds as
large as the white.fronted, mottled, or
laughing.goose. But In the absence Of
the regular brent-gooSe, the mottled
bird known as the laughing.goose car
ries the name Of brant. And brdHt IL
| Is, so far as the average shooter is in.
formed T; for few OF them have ever seen
brent.goose-a this Is the onlybird
which, 10 their knowledge, ever bore
the name. These same fellows call o
partridge a pheasant, and an English
snipo woodcock. It Is amusing 10
watch flock Of laughing.geese rs they
approach fayorite feeding.gronnd or
resting.p They come first In the
regular acute.angle line Of flight, sud.
denly they break ranks, and with one
accord the whole flock begins 0 series
OF eyolutions, tumbling and turning
high in the air, and then descending in
most comical and irregular manner, to
the amusement Of the observer, all the
while indulging in a jabber more re.
sambling the merry laughing OF
school.gi than anything else, from
which peculiarity they receive their
name. As o table bird II is highly es.
teemed, aud is generally preferred to
the Canada goose. In point OF mum.
bers II exceeds the latter in this local..
ty, while in other parts the ratio Is
reversed. They visit the West in
March and April, on their regular mi.
grations TO tho lakes and bays Of North
ern Minnesota, tho British possessions,
and Labrador, remaining with ussome-
times as late as May in small detach-
ments. Many are killed before they
reach their northern breeding.grounds.
After raising the usual brood, and re.
plenishing their thinned ranks, they
gather for the autumnal return flight,
and in October we see them vending
their way to their old and fayorite
haunts, until the cold weather drives
them southwark TO the great marshes
OF Arkansas and the Lower Mississippi.
As they pass north in March, generally
before q southern gale, which carries
them along with little apparent effort,
their coming Is welcomed as harbin-
ger Of returning spiing. They come,
too, in large numbers, accompanied BY
all the usual varieties Of waterfowl in
even greater proiusion.