The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-05-20
WILD GEESE Ann como NoRrn
They Are Now on tho Wing 20 Colder
climeA-Are Under Strict Leaders

Kansas City star.
Objects which never fail Just now 20
attract the attention OF travellers over
Western Kansas arc nocka OF Wild gocne
feeding upon tho rich nelds or wheat.
which this spring seem 10 apread ear
pot ~ green over all the broad domain
To ruAt and refresh themselves IN their
annual niKht norihward. the geese
aliEht In these neida, They select their
Eround carefully. choosing a spot remote
from human habltation and no situated
that they may sec all the country round
about. and thus 10 warned OF the Ap.
proaeh OF danger In time 10 take flight
In their miRratlona northward In the
early spring and southwark In the lntn
fall wild geese ny IN families OF dozen
or twenty arranging themselves In the
form OF the letter A. ono side OF the let.
ter invariably shorter than the other
ana tho father RHnder and the mother
goose little In advance OF tho apex
Sometimes many families unite for
timo and travel together. but always
that inevitable letter A II clearly de.
fnod IN the sky. the procession led by
gahder who has Travelled the rSad before
and whose ''honk' honkl" guides the
hight
while feeding every family posts a
sentinel. who stands In the midst Of THE
feeding mock. his neck stretched high.
nxed and rigid as statue.
Travelling over the Rock Island rall.
road from Topeka TO Hutchinson one day
last week with Colonel George W. VeAic,
Of Topeka. who knows all about wiid
geese. q representative OF tho Star Wit
nenard the spectacle OF patience ana
falthfulnesu, and saw. too. a. attempt
by a farmer boy TO steal upon the fiock
with gun. Tho Passengers crowded
TO the windows or FASTENED 20 the car
platforms and the engineers also inter
tated. slowed up the train az creek.
The boy crcpt down draw To point
nearest the geese and then began TO
work hts way over rise, The boy
waA to lccwaTd 40 the sentinel could not
be warned by scent. and ths enemy had
not yot como intosview, Slowly the boy
tolled his way, his body nat against The
ground Finally no had dragged him
self TO point whcrc he could see tho
geese feeding over u radius ~ twenty
yards from the sentinel ana moving
slowly In the direction OF the hoy. He
had only TO be patient. and his reward
would be a brace OF Wild geese Hut he
poaHenscd a boys curiosity. lie raised
his head to look "Qunck, quackl"
sounded the warning OF tho sentinel An
was excitement In the camp: the Hentl-
mel ran. knowing there was danger AZ
tor dash OF thirty yards they rose into
the air. but dying low. the scntinelu
guiding "honk" ahead OF thom. A. the
quhck OF the sentinel the boy rose ana
gave chase. but the geese were too fleet
Of foot and too far away when they took
wing. and tho boys shots fell short o.
his aim.
Tho geese were In wild disorder when
they lifted themselves into the air. but
after that not n sound was heard save
from tho sentinel. whose notes soon be-
came assuring, and before they had
hown quarter OF mile they were
high In tho sky. and. behold. iherc was
the ncvor-failing letter A.
Then the spectators from the train.
which was now moving rapidly. Witness
ed another spectacle. The danger past
the eantlnel. which had been In the lead,
dropped back and took his position At
the end Of the longer arm OF the A.
while from that position the father OF
the family pushed TO the head OF the
column. and. from the end OF the shorter
arm tho mother goose flew forward and
joined him. Until that moment they
had been fiying In n southwesterly direo-
clon, but "honkl honk" commanded the
leader. and they whirled to the north
ward ana soon were lost TO view,