The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-06
WHERE WILD GEESE WINTER
PARTS or TEXAS TEEMTNG WITH
 THE VILY BIRDS.

IHE HIbf 0lbDSt
 Prodigious Speed of Their Flight From
 the Arctics to Their Southern Home
 Changed Habits That Come With
 the Change of Latitude-How This
 Shyess and Most WaschfnI of Game
 Fowl is Brought to Bag in Texas.
 Rockport, Tex, Dec. 14--For ten days
 past the long lines of wild geese have
 been swinging in and settling on bay,
 sea arm and prairie. The vanguard
 rom the north reached here in the last
 week of November, as it does year af-
 ter year with unchanging regularity
 The folks of Aransas county know that
 winter Is coming only when they hear
 the steady honk-konk changing down
 from the midnight sky. Within twen-
 ty-four hours afterward the first north
 CT of the season blows it's chill breath
 over the rolling land, and the man who
 has been fishing all summer and fall
 gets down his gun, oils it and tries the
 locks. Once the V-shaped flock has
 landed those behind seem to come in
 swarms. Twenty bands will be seen on
 the next day and two days later the
 great wild fowl are everywhere.
 The southwestern edge of Texas and
 that part of the Mexican coast which
 lies east of Tuxpan are the winter
 homes of the wild goose. Some of the
 flocks go even farther south, spending
 the cold months along Central America,
 and occasionally the Canadian flyer is
 to be found in the northern part of
 south America, but the vast bulk of the migrating horde puts in December, Jan-
 uary and February in the territory in-
 dlcated. The southward flight lasts all
 of six weeks because some individuals,
 harder than others, or less inclined to
 exertion, remain in the north until all
 waters are closed. They are then forced
 to emigrate or starve. Wild geese are most numerous in this section after
 January l. By that time all are here
 and settled which intend to stay here and their numbers are lnconceivable. It is not an unusual thing to see an army of from three to five thousand geese upon the prairie, and In flying to their roosts at night the lines of them are practically continuous. In Dakota and other states of the northwest the southward flying gangs feed in the corn and wheatfields subsisting upon such scattered grain as they are able to find, but when they reach Texas they become grass eaters. They get with the grass, of course, some seeds, but for the most part the contents of their crops are made up wholly of mesquite and sage 1 blades. A section of prairie over which one of these giant bands has fed looks as if 1t had been clipped with closely set lawn mower of uneven teeth. The | bill of a goose will get even nearer to ! the dirt than the teethof sheep. | Grazing ground is useless for cattle af- ter sheep have gone over it, and when the Canadian geese have had their fill sheep pastured upon it would starve.
 It is the habit of the goose family to make it's migrations with each variety keeping to itself When in the air there is no admixture of kinds. The blue Ca- nadian goose, with the black crescent over the eye and white ring around the neck, the great white goose, the small al1-blue goose and the white, black pin toned brant keep themselves to them selves. It is easy for the trained eye to distinguish them afar off in flight, because each has some slight peculiarity of formation. Once they have alighted, however, and decided to pass the winter, they mix without regard to age, color or previous condition. Sometimes in prairie flock of not more than two hun dred every variety will be observed. It is curious, however, to note with what certitude each goes to each when they are flushed They rise all at once, there is swift shuff1ing and inter- change of position, and before the band will be with the brant and the wild geese with the wild geese. This caste is preserved on the roost, each variety floating upon the water, head tucked under wing and sound asleep, but nev- ar intermingling. Standing upon the edge of some nearly landlocked bay the hunter will see by the dim light of the stars an acre or two of dark forms hree hundred yards from shore. They will be wild geese. Beyond them will ,e an acre which shows dimly white lige | Snowbank. That will be the brant. The birds never roost upon the open waters of the gulf for the reason that winter storms here are sudden and vio- ent and the wave motion Is disturbing ( They take their rest either upon a sea rm, thoroughly protected from outside s influences, or else in one of the nume- | ous fresh water ponds or tanks in the ollows of the prairie a mile or so back rom the gulf. It is matter of general belief among s unters that the smartest feathered V hing which flies or walks is the wild r urkey So far as mere alertness goes, I he belief is correct. The wild turkey | as marvellous quickness of vision, an U 1tense keenness of hearing and is mor- c idly watchful. In sagacity, however, l [ nd the gathered wisdom which comes b rom experience the wild goose is it's V lperior. Indeed, this powerful eXplor- j' r of the upper deeps does sone things ii hich argue the possession of reason p r, at least of a wonderfully developed s lstinct. Its ability to find it's way year u fter year to the same point over thou fl lnds of miles of country is hardly an W stance in point, for knowledge to di- u ct correctly the southward flight is a ,mmon to many birds. notably to all V nds of wild ducks. Undoubtedly the h ligrators shape their course by gigan- n c landmarks, rivers, lakes, mountain D. lnges, timber belts and so forth. The | T id goose does better, however It T