Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-09-18
GEESE AND AN EAGLE.
How They Formed a Hollow Square
to Repel Boarders.

now lney TOT0SO T1OiIoW SHua'
to Repel Boarders.
The word goose" furnishes its own
definition To say that one is goose
means that he-well, it simply means
that he is a goose. For ages the goose
has been looked upon as the fool of the
barnyard, the supreme type OF ldlot
among fowls, the epitome of Stiffness in
feathers. Yet 1t seems sometimes as
though the goose has been maligned
Once in a while there leaks out fact
or two that would indicate that som
geese, if not all geese, have something
more than instinct. Indeed, some ad
mirers OF the fowl even give him credit
for brains. That may be going lit
tie too far. But there is much in SUP
port of the theory that he has instinct.
Among the defenders of the goose
of many geese, in facts F. Brucker +
man of Sierra county. The especial
incident upon which he bases his de-
fence Of the goose happened several
months ago The scene was near
Mount Fillmore, in Sierra county. 1t
might be well to tell the story in MIR.
Bruckerman's own words:
81 was on the way to a neighbor'
place several miles from my own
said he. "when the incident I am about
to relate took place. 1 was walking
along slowly, and in taking in, as I al
ways do, everything that was going on
around ME, 1 noticed flock of several
hundred geese coming south. / no
ticed them particularly because they
were the first of the season. They
were white geese with black wings
and were flying in the usual E-shaped
formation. In looking at them l no.
ticed a black eagle, an unusually large
one, coming from the east. He was
flying directly toward the geese, al
though his course would carry him a
little below them.
1T seemed that the geese saw the
eagle at about the same time that l
did. At any rate, before he arrived
opposite them they gave decided signs
of uneasiness. l saw that they were be-
ginning to break up their regular
formation, and watched with curiosity
to see what would be the outcome.
'"rhen the thing happened which as
tounGed me. Hardly had | noticed
that the geese were honking loudly
and changing their position in the air
when they formed into two perfect
hollow squares. There was no chance
about it. The thing was done deliber-
ately-how deliberately you may judge
from the fact that after they had as
sumed this position a goose left one of
the squares and went to the other. pre-
1kUably in order that both groups
H. eht be of the same size.
HDurpU al fbiS time the ga ole was
coming nearer and nearer. and by the
time he was opposite and a little below
the geese the latter had their position
above the path that he was taking.
One square hung perfectly perpendicu-
lar in the air, with hardly a flutter of
the birds wings The other hung as
motionless but in q slanting position.
If the eagle saw them he gave no sign
of attention. but kept straight on his
course. Then, just as he arrived di-
rectly underneath the geese, some
thing happened. Without any signal
that I could hear, but plainly with a
concerted movement. the geese that
formed the lower or slanting hollow
square swooped down in the direction
OF the eagle. AS they sWoOped their
wings made great noise. which /
plainly heard. Their sudden rush
caused the eagle to turn out of his
course and fly rapidly along. more to
the north than he had been flying. The
rush of the geese carried them several
hundred feet below the eagle, then
they wheeled and again flew back.
joining the birds which had remained
almost motionless in the perpendicular
hollow square. The two groups hav-
ing joined, the V formation was again
assumed, and the geese continued their
fight toward the South"
When asked as to his theory for this
strange action Mr.. Bruckerman con-
fessed himself at loss.
Il never heard" he said. "of an
eagle attacking geese. Besides. this
eagle was hardly in position to do so.
He was below the geese, and his evil
dent intention was to fly along about
his own business. Nor did the geese
seem to be afraid of the eagle--at least,
not 70 the extent of trying to avoid
him. On the other hand. they We're
the ones who made the attack, if such
it could be called.
"At any rate, it was curious occur
renee, the strangcst have ever seen in
all my residence in the mountains. /
know that run the risk in telling this
of hcing classed with the nature takers,
but the story is absolutely true Just as
I tell it. NY chief regret is that 7 did
not have a camera. could not have
got Il picture of the flight, but I could
have photographed the hollow squares
as they hung suspended in the air.
San Francisco Call