The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-01

the head and neck. including the bill, is
black. The back and wings and sides
I are grayish brown, the tail black. the
breast gray and the belly grayish, fad
ing TO white. Hutchin's goose. which is
smaller, and the cackling goose, which
is smaller still, both resemble the Can
| ada goose in color and markings, but as
the last named is the only one of the
! three species which We are liable to see
| in the east. We need have no fear of
confusing them
When the geese pass over us in the
spring they are going to their breeding
grounds in Canada and on the northern
border of the United States. They
make their nests of sticks, lined with
down, usually on the open prairies or by
the shores Of rivers. Sometimes, how
ever, they build on an old tree stump, or
utilize the deserted nest Of a ffsh-hawk,
in tree. They usually lay four or five
buff eggs, about three and a half inches
long by about two and half inches
wide.
Great numbers of geese are shot eve
ry year during the migrations, by gun
| ners who use various methods of Turing
them within gunsbot. Some shoot them
from blinds erected in the swamps
frequented by the birds. Here gun
ner will kneel with cooked gun, until
he sees a flock approaching. II they
are not coming well within gunshot he
calls to them, minicing very cleverly,
sometimes, the honking Of the geese
themselves. The latter will usually an
swer, and wheel nearer to the blind and
before they can see their mistake some
of their number fall at the discharge of
the gun. Sometimes the same results
are obtained by lettering wild birds of
the same species, which call to their
passing brethren, and unconsciously
lure them to destruction.
Wounded geese are easily domestica-
ted, but they soon become heavy and
ungainly in captivity. But they never
forget their wild state, and in the
spring 1t is very pathetic to see them
raise their heads and call to the passing
fiocks, as though to call attention to
their helpless plight, Instances have
been known where captive birds have
recovered from their wounds and joined
the northumberland squadrons in the
spring, and have heard, from SEEM
ingly reliable sources, of two cases in
which geese have returned in the au-
tumn to the places of their former cap
tivity.
The only other wild goose we are like
ly to see near the Atlantic coast is the
brant, a much smaller bird than the
preceding, measuring about twenty-six
inches in length. 1t is not so active a
bird as the Canada goose, and flies more
slowly. Brants, moreover, fly in closer
order; not strung out in long line or
V.
The head and neck of the brane are
black, with the exception Of white
specks on the sides Of the neck. The
back is brownish gray. the upper breast
black and the lower breast gray, fading
to white on the belly. 1t is bird of the
far north. breeding within the Arctic
circle. It's nest is made of grass and
moss, and lined with down. The eggs
are four in number and of creamy
white color.
The principal food Of the brant is said
to be eel grass. which 1t tears from the
mud at low tide and allows to. float on
the surface. When the water has risen
so high as to compel 1t to stop work, 1t
sewims about among the floating eel
grass which 1t feeds upon at its leisure.
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNEs.