The Portland daily press., 1896-05-01
THE HABITS OF WILD GEESE
Their Pugnacious Courtship and Occasion
al Elopements.
(From the Kansas City Star. J

|
(From the Kansas City Star)
Objects which never fail just now to
attract the attention of travellers over
western Kansas are f1ooks of wild geese
feeding upon the rich fields of wheat,
which this spring seem to spread q carpet
of green over all the broad domain. To
rest and refresh themselves in their an
nual flight northward, the geese alight
In these fields. They select their ground
carefully, choosing a spot remote from
human habitation and SO situated that
they may see all the country round about
and thus be warned of the approach Of
danger in time to take flight.
| In their migrations northward in the
early spring and southwark in the late
fall wild geese fly in families of dozen
or 20, arranging themselves in the form
Of the letter "a" one side of the letter
invariably shorter than the other, and
the father gander and the mother goose q
little IN advance of the apex. Sometimes
many families unite for time and travel
together, but always that Inevitable letter
"a" is clearly defined in the sky, the
procession led by gander who has tray
eled the road before, and whose 'Honk !
honk p guides the flight. While feeding,
every family posts sentinel, who stands
in the midst of the feeding flock, his
neck stretched high. fixed and rigid as q
statue.
| Travelling over the Rock Island rail-
road from Topeka to Hutchinson one day
last week with Col. George W. Veale Of
Topeka, who knows all about wild geese,
a representative of the star witnessed
this spectacle of patience and faithful
ness. and saw, too, an attempt by farm
or boy to steal upon the flock with gun.
| The passengers crowded to the windows
or hastened to the car platforms. and the
engineer, also interested, slowed down
the train to creep. The boy crept down
draw to point nearest the geese, ard
then began to work his way over rise.
The boy was to leeward, so the sentinel
could not be warned by scent, and tho
enemy had not yet got into view. Slowly
the boy toiled his way, his body fiat
against the ground. Finally he had
dragged himself to point where he could
see the geese feeding over a radius of 30
yards from the sentinel, and moving
slowly in the direction of the boy. He
had only to be patient and his reward
would be brace of wild geese. But he
possessed a boys curiosity. He raised his
mead to look. Quaok, .quaok!' sounded
the warning of the sentinel. All was
excitement in the the Damp, the sentinel
ran, knowing that there was danger, the
others of the family following. After q
dash of 30 yards they rose in the air, but;
| flying low, the sentinePS guiding
"Honk p ahead OF them. At the quack
of the sentinel the boy rose and gave
chase, but the geese were too feet of foot
and too far away when they took wing
and the boys shot fell short Of his aim.
These geese were in wild disorder when
they lifted themselves into the air, but
after that not sound was heard save
from the sentinel, whose notes soon be-
came reassuring, and before they had
flown quarter of mile they were high
! in the sky, and behold. there was the
never-failing letter "A". Then the silent
and inspired spectators from the train,
which was now mov Ing RAPIDLY. wit
past, the sentinel, which had been in the
lead, dropped back and took his position
at end of the longer arm of the "a "
while from that position the father of the
| family pushed to the head of tho column,
and from the end of the shorter arm, the
mother goose flew forward and joined
him. Until that moment they had been
flying in a -southwesterly direction, but
'.Honk honkl" commanded the leader
and they whirled to the northward and
soon were lost to view.
Naturally the incident became subject
of comment in the car after the geese had
disappeared, and Col. Veale, who has
spent lifetime on the plains Of Kansas.
entertained the passengers who crowded
about him with wild goose stories, and
when his word WAS doubted he called
upon J. W. Moore of Marion, or " Fa nm
err Smith of Mcpherson, or W. l..
Brown of Kingmap, who wers on the
train, to verify him. Col. Veale declares
that while resting and feeding ON their
flights north the young geese mate. He
says that while collecting his scattered
herds he has watched goose ..courtships by
the hour. First, he says, the young gam
ders fight for the pick of the maidens OF
the flock. These struggles continue
sometimes for days, and when the cham
pion has whipped all Corners, he chooses
the plumpest goose of the fiook and the
pair settle down to married life. Then
the other ganders fight 1t out, and SO on
until Hobsons choicen only is left,
Col. Veale also declares that not infre-
quently young ganders will break away
from their own family ''A', fly off and
out out mates from other families which
may be flying near by. Tt is Col Veale's
observation that this is the easier way for
a gander to get mate, as it is impossible
to fight in the air, and, with that vanity
native in the female breast, and pleased
by the mark IF favor shown from another
family, the little goose unhesitatingly
abandons companions and lovers of her
own kindred and flies off with her cap
tor. The Incident causes a little furry in
the flock for moment, and sometimes
| a CpQndlY Init ho