New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-12
HABITS or WILD GEESE.
THEIR PUGNACIOUs COURTsHIP AND OC
CASIONAL ELOPEMENTS.
From The Kansas City Star.

From The Kansas City Star.
Objects which never fail just now to attract The
attention of travellers over Western Kansas are
wheat. which this spring seem TO spread a carpet
Of green over all the broad domain To rest and re-
the geese alight In these fields They select their
gronhn and so Situated that they may
all the country around about. and thus be warned
OF In n their norhward in the early spring
and southwark I'm the late fall, Wild geese ny IN
saT. is Oh e oT ao'e e Sf s Of the
letter invariably shorter than the other and the
father gander and the mother goose little IN
advance OF the apex. Sometimes many families
unite for Tin and .ave tDge1SeT .a hut a IN ,g
sky. the procession lead by q gander who has a.!
While feeling family mi o sSH R n weG
stretched high hasd and rigid as Statue
Travelling over the Rock Island Railroad from
Colonel Colonel George W veae Of Topeka. who knows al
about wild geese. representative OF me Stat,
Hn gd ns s Gi by Primer boy
TO steal upon the flock with gun The PASSENGERS
platforms. and ,he engineer. also interested slowed
down the train to creep The boy y c5ept down =,
work his way over rise. The boy was "a, 70 leeward
the enemy had not yet got into view SLOWLY the
boy o.led his way. his body fiat against the ground
could see the geese feeding over radius Of twenty
yards from the sentinel. and moving slowly In the
and his reward would be a brace OF Wild geese.
But he possessed boys curiosity. He raised his
h ns Of 70 Se senne All was mt the
camp the sentinel ran Knowing that there Ws sT
dash OF thirty yards they rose IN the air, ou,
flying low the sennes guiding H9 9hs how an 1osa
and chase but the geese were TOO feet OF 1907
and too far away when s tn they took wing and the
The geese were in wild disorder when they liitedd
was heard save from the sentinel whose notes soon
became assuring and before they had no. flown "a
behold h there was the never-faliing letter -
Then the silent and inspired spectators from the
train which was now moving rapidly witnessed an;
other spectacle. The danger past. the sentinel
which had been in the lead dropped BACK ana '16 6
While it nf that s' posn she father
family pushed TO the head Of the column. ana. from rom
forward and joined him. Until that moment they
ken yHs he leader and they
whircd TO the northward and soon were lost 10
Naturally the incident became a subject OF com
ment in the car after the geese had dissappeared
a he pans of Ra s'e the
who crowded about him with Wild goose goose s storiei
vpa M T"S@ q" Of Marion Of Fsrmer smh
iSai wae resting and feeding Their Ih,Is
nollec,ing his scattered herds he has watched
goose cour,sh!ps by the hour First he says ,S the
Inc dock These struggles continue sometimes for
days and when the champion has whipped al
Gamers he chooses the plumpes goose OF the mock
and the pair settle down to married life Then the
other ganders fight 1t out. and so until "Hobson's
choice only Is left. < A.,
ToIonel Veale also declares that not infrequently
voune eanders will break away from their own
yyiis, "A -" Nv off and cut out mates from other
ttm,iies which may be flying near By 1t is Colonel
Veale's observation that this Is the1easier way fSr
e ,hn air and with that vanity native in the fe
male breast and pleased by the marx OF FAVOR
SeSiatngiy abanons csmpsniCns end lovers Of her
o ,Sn COS q little furry In the flock for a mo-
ment and sometimes young gander gives Gha IS:
Du Fitting his time make good the loss by
reprIsal upon some other flock