The sun., 1903-06-28

, tion. during which they NOPE and refuse
| to eat, but they become accustomed to their
changed surroundings without serious
| illness, and thereafter waddle about gravely
learn to know their food hour and take
their mashed corn freely
These birds accept their situation calmly
except in two seasons of the year. When
! the fall fight is on and again in the spring
the fever Of wandering is in their blood, and
then they are restless night and day.
Overhead in dark and day are the swiftly
speeding, changing legions of their friends,
and as the calls float down to them they
answer wildly and ncessantly, striving
of the upper air; At such times their clamor
runs all through the night and they get no
sleep, except in catnaps. Neither do
human beings near them. except their
keepers. who become used to the noise,
he1 is s.bs of shs mfsSn ssr or whsn
set out and grazing they honk persuasively
to every flock within hearing. During the
nesting .period-in that time which old
Gilbert White of Selborne with his fondnfts
for Latin derivatives calls always -nidif-
cation the Canada goose is silent bird.
II Staggers about voicc!ess. the female in
dustriously sitting and the gander near,
though he makes no effort to feed her.
In shooting over wild goose decoys it is
not necessary to have the numbers that
are employed in the case Of ducks: Two 9r
three will be found sufficient. If the wild
flock he permitted to alght it will feed
about the captives and fraternize with
them, and will stay lust as long as the man
remains concealed or the feeding proves
good,
out the decoys it is neceesary to select
ground on which food is plentiful. Geese
are fond OF young grasses or Of grain,
As good place as any is a cornf1eld or
wheatfeld remote from habitation, and
The hocks are wary Of any object which
juts above the surface. even a slight hill
or old stump, until they become used to it.
The decoys are placed thirty yards from
the pit. The incomers are shot generally
as they prepare to alight.
That is shooting which requires no mark.
manship. Tho goose is big bird, and
when lowering with outstretched beating
wings twenty feet above the ground seems
even rd nefer ;hst than it is FSr
IN the air, and in that time any shotgun
man ought to bc able to centre them with
the pattern
It is shooting which pals soon. and
after two or three pairs hav. been killed
In this way any true sportsman will turn his
attention to the flock when II is wheeling and,
getting ready to stop shooting on the
second wheel or even on the hrst. when
the birds are much farther out, and thus
teStne mis- knowledge OF pace ana Ois-
tance and the reaching power Of his gun.
The man in the pit makes no effort to
retrieve the dead or wounded birds. be-
cause 1t is a singular Characteristic OF all
wild fowl. ducks and geese alike. that
they pay no attention to the corpses Of
kindred. Shy OF almost everything which
they do not know. they will pass directly
above water thick with bodies or alight
within yard Of dead birds and swim
placidly about or feed within touch
M hn,, c. ha
the prairie with their legs up and the others
come unheedinR
In the Tarkio country there are ocoa-
sional crosses between wild and tame
geese. but the crors Ia Of no value. II
Is too wild to be Of domestic use and Ia
not a good decoy.
There is little sale of the eggs of wild
geese or of young wild geese to any eX-
cept market shooters. Sportsmen gen.
cralv do not care to take the trouble OF