The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-19
WILD GEESE WORTH SHOOTING
GAME THAI CALLS FOR THE
GUNNER'S Utmost SKILL.
Extraordinary swiftncss OF Their Flight
-Keenness Of Vision That Defies
Human Devices The Aged Female
Geesc-Louisiana Goose Shooting.

-Keenness Of Vision That Deies
Human Devices The Aged Female
Geesc-Louisiana Goose Shooting.
MooBINospoRT, La, Jan. N.-Caddo
Lake Is a sort Of halfway house for feath-
cred swimmers. Wld fowls, which object
equally to the Icy stretches Of the North
and the iceless marshes OF the Gulf line'
! make IL their stopping place through nearly
all OF the winter.
When a warm spell Il on Louisiana they
60 UP into Arkansas, 800 miles. When a
cold wave comes down they head FOR the
salt water which beats against the Texas
coast. some 800 miles away.
These read Ike long distances to human
beings, who have to travel on two or four
legs, or else to talk to railway conductors
! to while the tedium Of the hours, but they
are trilos to the dwellers In the upror
deeps. A lot Of wise Arctic explorers,
including the believers in Symmes's Hole,
have contended that there is bound to lie
open water around the North Pole, because
along the upper parallels they have met
wild geese and brant flying southwark.
They forget that fifty miles in two days
Is a big job to them M a thousand miles
a day h little, or mex TO little, to a wild
goose. Doubtless the birds they saw
had merely flown over the top Of the world
and were honking steadily downward.
looking for a warm place to put up for
the night.
On Caddo Lake there Is almost a con-
slant demonstration OF the speed OF the
wild fowls and their disregard Of distances.
II It were possible to catch. mark and
Identify one OF these birds, it would prob
ably be seen one day lazily browsing next
TO a cypress stump within haillng distance
Of M~ooringsport and a day after might
be breasting the pillows that roll in from
the Caribbean, or else looking for acorns
Just below the Ozarks-swimming boldly
around the many curves OF some little
clearwater stream of northern Arkansas
and sending out its call as carelessly as II
it were once more In the Ba0in's Bay coun-
try. With nothing more harmless than
true seal or truer icebergs in sight.
As a bird soils high and gets wisdom
from It's range OF vision, and Is able on occa-
sion TO beat the upper atmospheric strata
with ~tireless wings for days and nights at
a stretch, the goose Is eastly chief; once
settled in a place, II Is apt 10 remain unth
forced awav by. a severe change OF 'rm.
perature. yet It's length OF flight Is such thTt
there "a never any certainty that II VIII
be found on Wednesday here II Was nu-
merous enough on Tuesday.
The common belief that the goose IL n
foolish bird. or that Il lacks caution was
derived from the In bits and actions OF the
tame variety. The Canadian goose or
honker asks n fair field and no favor. PIT
ting the sense Il has gathered from mil
lions Of dead and forgotten ancestors against
tho Wit Of man. 1t REQUESTS only tHs' no
The fact Is, 1t is SLAIN in broad daylight
and ut close range only when its seeker u
hidden with such skill that the hundred
eyes % Argus would he insufficient 20 oetect
HE hiding place. II sometimes hsprenr;
too. that an exceedingly old Individual
Is killed under circumstances which would
indicate that II had gone crazy. In such an
insta nee examination will almost AWAY
show that the bud was suhci M rom sonIo
orranic trouble due to age, nearly absent
evesicht. atIophied hearing and g sense oil
smell almost utterly destroyed.
The goose will live TO a great ge. one
slain lust above Mooringsport ten "a ys
ago-shot at the latter end OF twilight
,,hen not moro tina twenty-five feet above
he huntef-must have been close 20 the
century mark. lie feathers hf turned 40
gray TINT II was almost as light OF nue.
as = hrant; the plumhge on its breast Was
a. thick that the No. 2 shot, backed 10y
a., dams Of powder, hardly. penetrated
hts legs were heavily sca ed and ,drab
as a dead mans hand; IT, lower bll hAd
be,n broken short on IN some
or accident Of the long ago lt- eyes were
rheumv. the ear orlfiCes almost closed.
tho uostrils sunk H. n nearly indiscoNer-
pLle ito weight close 20 twenty pounds,
winch ir more thhn double tho usWi' he1t
of Ne kind.
er-,st.s attaining 20 u reUdrkalo aSe
r.. arcs - maternity are possibly al OK
risr tatIor oftlsir shorter lra-e - lie. tut
aid hunters hellr,s that th"y are pat out
n tia way bv tue gaudef- Nhrh they
IN q 80 LLAH- HL# HI LLn ALaA
t,ur'ys charactorisiic Il fhe race. II 'Al.
.l,.ry H. true. the Md gp"s has found
.uf tlut to r'Uugih = a ''auu De- IT. iis
V.al.-' A. ~ aUd hLs made the 'haln strong
e. T., the simIlrft method.
D.. ary are tie Etosi iha' hlihnugi
tl,y trs au tadio Lake mot Ii tN. Nlu.ci
iu ID. of from . Thousand tHt. r'l"uaai'i
tt.r i- lula money iu siliug tHoin Tor ~
luafnpt Ilsy aw alan t..H '' ln"h ~ y
.i-.r Nmplv To- tie fUou ~ be- a would
1.tI.r .r'. ii one a.. .rut u.Lisr ul tls
trIa .fggli,uru than Co.,. 800 '.At dr"i
vIt.i stand urYadzidr un ald have act az
HH.s fuat . fu"uau lE ~ a.
m4u WHO 90 als really o. - sr'H'
al aA hasaris ell plu d. 'aliA 4" "a.
v,trlus. aud Tho u- % 90 r
ur.u thr ti..8 - daI o. vli'h '' i.,'"l'
al. he s.Huiiug Woo a." HF'. De-
.tY.F o. WI taas % ilW q a'-a' i'a
Is.auss bet o." az eel '".i"a pa -
arI t.ud sgts ~. ~ tu"HlUs 'aFH
T4 Il. tnl.Ifu b. d if|t ed. stI 1lln cog
40 ..f.lf b. d,f.udrd u..I" 80 ~. "'f
Iat.... seventy nte bafNH o. tlA GOO "'
.aIs Go tnalrf .i o. f1F ~ 70,
Il. t.p q ~ fetal .p I. Do Na 10
,t H.Hs t.IT.s.H 700 "a
a. .DE Ul| IHs UthfaHHsH 900 inaH
s.t = 900 lnI tiru tstr lHf
r...FHf Uu IIF tfrf Co.,
I'M. au.T .f huI,aW To-" " d
49, a ui.u e. d.
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