Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-04-06

The decOys, after some experience learn
to disregard the report of the gun, and
witness the slaughter of their kind with
unmoved Indifference. This, however, is
not always the case. Instances are known
where, on the approach of flock, as
certain one of the decovs has given note
Of warning. No difference in the tone is
distingnishabe by the gunner. but the
approaching tiock have detected the pecul.
lar signal and dash away in alarm and
terror. A decoy Of this character is dis
covered by leaving, now one, then another,
at home, and so on in turn until each bird
has been tried and the culprit secured. A
skilful man in boat may. under favorable
conditions. drive distant flock which has
settled on the water at "a considerable |
distance directly among the live decoys.
The wild birds thus entrapped can suffer
no imputation on their sagacity. The |
survivors, if any, profit by the enlighten-
ment they have received. They COM
municate to their offspring the dangers
which lurk in the locality where so many
of their relatives have met with disaster
consequently in those bays and sounds in
which it is the habit 10 employ the live
decoy the wild goose is wary or infre- !
quent visitor, When in his flight he
reaches these bays, he scars high in the
air, and no .'honk, ,pano matter how seduct-
i've and natural, can tempt him to ahght.
The limited space permitted in an arti
Gle of this description forbids more than n
mere superficial examination of the habits
and intelligence of the wild goose 1t is
generally known that this bird breeds in
latitudes near or within the arctic circle.
Of 4 t,t
throughout their perilous flight to the
north are sufficiently deadly, but new
and hundred fold more fatal way of
annihilating these, and in fact all migra
tory seafowl, has within late years been in
effective operation 1t is of course well
understood that in the process of photo
graphy albumen is an important and
essential factor. 1t is derived from the
white of the egg. 1t can be readily
imagined how enormous the number of
eggs must be to supply this necessity. To
provide this want for new and fast in
creaSing art and industry "A large fleet is
annually dispatched TO the breeding
grounds of sea fowls, whose eggs, even
TO the tiny ones of the little OK. eye snipe.
are ruthlessly secured for the sake of the
minute quantity of albumen which they
may yield. The white of the egg, after
undergoing a preliminary treatment, is
packed in casks and transported to
market. The enormous number of eggs
which must be required to load even one
vessel is almost beyond computation, but
when we consider fleet thus loaded we
can only express surprise that Il single one
of the millions of various sea fowl which
formerly frequented our coast is see to-
day. The attacks of Sportsm6n upon
these birds are contemplate compared
with the destruction wrought in this
wholesale effacement of the uniformed
young. The living have chance to give
play to sagacity and accumulated expert
ence, but the egg possesses no power to
escape or protect itself by flight or cum
ming. The sudden and rapid disappear
ance of certain fowl from off our line of
coast receives an intelligent Interpretation
in the light of this wholesale robbery oil
eggs in northern latitudes.
The government of the dominion
Canada has always shown itself most
prompt and efficient in protecting the
fisheries and game within its own terrific
ry. Possibly the attention of the Canadian
authorities has never been called to this
state of affais, although a public an
nouncement made some time since, giving
in detail the facts recited by the writer,
should certainly have secured the notice
of those most interested and responsible.
Science, it would seem. should provide
some substitute for the white of the egg 1
the process of photography. Either it
must do so, or the birds learn to discover
a breeding ground SO far north as to be
absolutely beyond the reach of the greedy
egg hunter. Those who now take delight
and pleasure in watching the graceful
flight of the gull, or follow for sport the
goose, duck and snipe of our coast shall
no longer enjoy those pleasures, neither
shall cheap and delicate article of food
be attainabe in its present comparative
profusion, unless a prompt and efficien
check be put upen this wholesale process
of egg snatching - Harper'S.