The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-05
HIS tanned WILD GEESE.
Remarkable Flock Kept by a Kan
saS Man.


From the Topeka State Journal.
A visitor was almost startled a day
or two ago to see a flock of what
appeared to be wild geese marching
down the main street of this place.
says a Cottonwood Falls (Kan.) cor
respondent, giant Canadian gray
gander leading them. The geese paid
no attention to the people along the
street, who in turn scarcely noticed
them. But the stranger did not un-
derstand why flock of wild geese
should appear in a busy little village
and give as much evidence of domes-
ITCHY as any farmyard flock of geese
in Kansas. So he inquired and heard
the story of the geese, which is al
ready familiar to every citizen of this
thriving village.
William McNee is a well-known and
popular citizen of Cottonwood Falls
He has a loan Office and a beautiful
home with large lawn. He knows
how to enjoy life, and among his other
diversions is a fondness for hunting.
Accordingly, eight or nine years ago
MIR. McNee and a neighbor bought a
tract of land in the Ellnwood marshes,
where ducks and geese may be found
when there are any in Kansas. One
day McNee clipped" the wing of a
beautiful Canada goose. The bone
was broken near the end and Mr.. Nc
Nee decided to save the goose and
take It home. He did so and found
that the bird adapted itself TO its sur
roundings in a short time and appear
ed to thrive. Since then Mr.. McNee
has been continuously adding to his
flock and he now has twenty-six den
liens of the upper air" in his yard.
He has had more than this at one
time, but occasionally an enthusiastic
sportsman who refuses to recognize
the domestic attachments OF the Nc
Nee fowls slaughters a few.
Shot in Their Pen.
At one time Mr.. McNee lost nine OF
his finest specimens in this manner
The geese are not entirely valuless ia
point, for when the shooting season
comes they are Grated and sent to FL
linwood to be used as decoys. They
are put in a pen made of wire NETTING
near a blind on the McNee preserves
and many of their kind are lured Ia
their death through the instrumentali-
ty of the feathered captives. They
pay no attention whatever to shooting
II was year ago that the McNee
geese, which then numbered twenty
eight, were in their pen on the MeNee
lagoon when a squad of hunters ap-
preached cautiously. The owner had
gone away and his companions were in
the hut some distance from the blind
The hunters approached to within easy
range and then fired into the flock
killing nine Of them. The SHOOTING
drew the attention of the men In the
house and they ran out, but they were
too late. The poachers were gather
ing their ill-gotten game and throwing
the fowls into their wagons. They
waved their hands to the Infatuated
men, dashed their horses into a run
and escaped.
This is the largest loss that McNee
has ever sustained at one time, though
ne has several times lost one or two
in the same manner. and often hunters
shoot at them without realizing that
they are captives.
Among the McNee treasures Is a blue
goose. II is exceedingly rare and Mr.
McNee captured the specimen he nov
has less than a year ago The fowl
which has a decidedly blush tinge, /,
about half the size of domestic goose
and has a neck and head very much
like the tame ones, but it's legs ar,
much longer. The owner says that II