Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-11-19

Wild GEESE IN THE WEsr.-Much
cunning is exhibited BY these birds in
localities where they are frequently dis
turbed. We have often seen them in
the great swamps of the Bureau Valley
along the ukpois come IN about dark,
when it was Just too lase to draw =
night, noiselesalys stealing along. 80 as
70 evade the r4pdom shot Of the hun
tex returning 10 camp after long days
uuek 8dkaktaAhed ara theI TO their
Eo1A efUdnas. And % Enhle to be pur-
sued at night by reckless adventurers.
that after few warnings they battle
the most intelligent. Should their line
of entry he discovered tonight as they
come across the marsh from the south,
Tomorrow night, If you watch, you may
hear the vibration of their wings as
they pass over the timber to the north,
in their approach to the old rice pond,
or open water of the big slough. Upon
all other occasions. and also when dis.
turbed, they exhibit their usual pro-
pensity to indulge in gable or goose
talk.
The mos: prominent among the varie-
ties in the West is the Canada goose
The next, and existing in great num-
hers, is the white-fronted or laughing
goose, called by many 'brant' Of the
regular brent-goose We have but few.
We killed one out of flock in Illinois
River, in 1860, on q sand-bar, and be-
lieve it is the oalv flock Ave ever saw in
that valley. The brent goose is about
half the size of the Canada variety, and
is is about two-thirds as large as the
white-fronted, notified, or laughing
goose. But Ii absence of the regular
brent goose, the mottled bird known as
the laughing-soose carries the name of
braat. And traat it is. SO far as the
average shooter is informed; for few Of
them have ever seen \ brent goose-and
this is the only bird which, to their
knowledge, ever bore the name. These
same fellows call partridge a pleas
ant. and an English snipe q woodcock.
1t is amusing to watch flock of
laughing geese as they approach IA
vorite feeding ground or resting place.
They come first in the regular acute-an-
g'e line of fight. Suddenly they break
ranks, and with one accord the whole
flock begins series of eyolGtions, tum-
bling and turning high in the air, and
then descending in the most comical
aud irregular manner. to the aniuse-
ment of the observer, all the while IN
dulging in jabber more resembling
the merry laughing of bcvy of school
girls than any thing else, from which
peculiarly they receive their nalne As
4 table bird it is highly esteemed. and
is generally preferred to the Canada
goose. In point of numbers it exceeds
the latter in this locality, while in other
parts the ratio is reversed.
They visit the West in March and
April, on their regular migrations to the
lakes and bays of Northern Minnesota,
the British possessions, a2d Labrador,
remaining with us sometimes as late as
May in small detachments. Many are
killed before they reach their northern
breeding ground. After raising the
usual brood, and rep!enishing their
thinned ranks, they gather for the au-
tumnal return fight, and in October we
see them vending their way to their
old and favorite 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 a southerly
gale, which carries them along with lit
tie apparent effort. their coming is wei.
coined as harbinger of returning
spring. They come, too, in large num-
bers, accompanied by all the usual va
rietics of waterfowl in even greater
profusion.-Martin A. Howell, Jr., in
Hdrpers Magazine.