The sun., 1919-09-14
HOW MUCH DOES A
WILD GOOSE WEIGH?
r. P. Holland, a Gunner Him
self, Has Many Varied Re-
plies to Inquiry.
ORNITH0LOGISTS DIFFER
Canada, With Six Feet Wing
Spread, Balanced Scales at
~ Pounds, IL Ounces.
ORNITHOLOGISTs DIFFER

How much does a wild goose weight"
asks r. p. Holland of the American
Game Protective Association.
This is a question l wish some SUN
readers would answer for u.s. said Mr..
Holland yesterday. 1--WE were asked for
this information. and feel that we cannot
answer accurately without personally
Weighing the goose A request for the
weight of a certain species OF fish would
be easier to give, for we could at feast
ind reliable data on the largest speci-
mems recorded.
1.-THE goose in question, we take It,
is the Canada goose, known to gunners
as 'honker' big gray goose sandy
footer.' bay goose and many other
localisms, depending upon the name APP
piled to him by the shooters in different
sections of the country. The task has
not been simplifled to any great extent
by settling on one species. as the vari-
alton in weight is great.
Very few of the available books
about game birds mention weights.
This subject seems to be Stunned by
both writer's of sportsmen's books and
scientific publications. From a scien-
tifc point Of view, the weight of birds
may have little or no value, but we feel
sure that this Is not the case with the
shooter.
ITO him the length of the tarsus or
the number of the tail feathers in a
Canada goose is matter of no interest
whatever. but ask him about the heav-
lest goose he ever killed and then make
about the same allowances you would
fhn FOL hap
that big black bass he once caught.
OrnithoIogists Far Apart.
in the few cases where ornitholo-
gistt note the weights of different birds
they are far apart. Audubon gives
the weight of the Canada goose as 5&
pounds and the gander as Z pounds.
'Grinnell. Bryant, and Storer, IN
very recent publication, say he weighs
from s to 12 pounds while Wilson, who
comes nearer to satisfying the gunner
Of to-day says the wild goose, when in
good order. weighs from 10 to IL, and
sometimes IA pounds.
However. none of these weights
will satisfy the man who has, killed
big goose, because as he looks back on
the event he is satisfied that they grow
very much larger. l have so far been
| unsuccessful in killing Il really big
goose judging by the weights of geese
killed by my, friends. but I still live In
| hopes.
Years ago, 1 formed the habit OF
weighing every big goose 1 killed and
likewise / weighed all large specimens
killed by other sportsmen whenever they
came to my notice. Soon after starting
this practice was quick to realize that
| 10 or IL pound goose was dandy.
and that the majority of the big Can
adas weighed between and 10 pounds.
I'm spite OF this fact, practically every
| goose-hunter of experience that l have
talked with had killed many IS and II
pound geese, and occasionally the ID
! pound and even 16-pound man would be
! found
Men whose word we couldn't doubt
have told me that 13-pound goose was
nothing unusual and that heavier ones
were often taken. Men whose word l
have no good reason to doubt have gone
even higher
Last fall three unusually large geese
were taken from one flock, one of these
birds was noticeably larger than the
others and felt sure that the l6-pound
! goose was mine.
These three geese weighed 81 u
| pounds and the largest one. which meas
ured close to feet in wing spread, and
| which was the latest wild goose l ever
saw, weighed only ~ pounds and IA
ounces"
George A. Lawyer Killed Bis Goose
IN the f., of 1917 / saw an UNI
usually large goose that was killed by
Mr.. George A. Lawyer, United States
chief game warden. Several old time
market hunters commented upon the size
of this bird and one man vino I know
has killed many more geese than his
share felt sure that II would weigh IA
pounds. This goose weighed exactly !:
pounds.
Very recently 1 met an old time
goose hunter who l was assured was q
careful observer and a very truthful
man. AS usual, put the goose weight
question to him. Well. sir he replied
I have always been interested in the
weights of geese, but the largest goose
ever killed I neglected to weigh unit
he was picked and cleaned, ready fol
cooking. This bird when ready fol-
the dressing. before being put in thu
oven. weighed exactly IS pounds.
Since' this instance I have firmly re
solved TO keep on weighing big geese
but t, atr,