Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-06-27
INTELLIGENCE OF BIRDS.
Wild Geese Take Great Precautfoni
Against Foes.

wild Geese Take Great Precautions
Against Foes.
Geese, In spite of their foolish air
and gestures are really most intelligent
creatures, and the proverbial wild
goose chase is made difficult by the
scout and sentry system maintained by
the birds, which argues some means
of communicating ideas, says the Lon
don Express. ]. G. Millais, in his
"Wildfiower in Scotland" describes
how he lay in ambush in a pit on an
island on Loeb Leven, and saw these
anserine tactics fully displayed.
First a single goose flew over, recon
noitered the position and retired to re-
port. There was much discussion, and
three small parties were deputed on
inspection duty. They returned, and
half an hour the whole flock landed
with much clamor and without caution.
Sentries We're set and before long the
hidden sportsman saw a goose which
had been grazing go up to one and
touch him on the back, whereupon the
sentry applied himself to the grass and
the other bird began to keep watch.
ut was" he says, their mode of
changing sentry and before he dis
turbed the peace of the flock by firing
he saw it done on two more occasions.
Here there was a well-understood
sign, which, as Mr.. Mllais says, evil
IDENTITY meant ''I'll do my turn now,"
and geese can communicate ideas even
more simply, for Sir Ralph Payne-Gall-
wey says he once saw one which had
strayed from the flock discover him
where he lay behind a bank. He was
only a dozen yards off, but the goose
retained its presence of mind. 1t walk
ed slowly off, and not until it rejoined
the flock did it take wing, when they,
of course, followed.
1 strongly suspect that goose wander
ed away on purpose to reconnoiter 1t
certainly did the only thing it could
have done to save its life when discov-
cred, for had it risen it would probably
have been shot, secrecy on the part of
the sportsman being then futile.
No wonder geese saved the capitol in
Roman history and they have done SEN
try duty for man under far different
conditions for the Hawaiian islanders
used to keep the native wild goose pc
culiar to the islands in order that it
might warn them against a surprise by
enemies in the constant feuds of the
old Pagan days
NJ Rogerson, of Anglers, a very close
observer of waterfowl, has recounted
remarkable instance Of communica-
ton of ideas among ducks, where Meth
err love nor war was in question. One
of his ducks was for some reason shut
up in cellar where all sorts of lum-
Der was kept. A hard-headed, prac-
teal bird, she did not deplore her inn
prisonment but set TO work to explore
her surroundings and soon found a tub
of grain, on which she dined heartily.
Soon after she found the door open
and went out down long passage and
through the kitchen, a region, of course,
quite unfamiliar to live poultry. Next
day she was discovered in the cellar
with her friends, the other ducks, do
ing the honors of the grain tub as
coolly as possible.
Now. she must either have told them
to follow her and enjoyed a status
among them which insured her being
believed, or else they must have no.
ticed her full crop when she got out
of prison, drawn their own conclusions
from the sight and followed her on
her return to the cellar the next day.