The Coolidge examiner., 1935-03-01
By National Geographic Society.
WhBhiuEfou. - C--W$U Service.
A y AMERICAN poet wrote:

Prepared by National Geographic Society.
WhbhiuEtuu. -. C.--W $t Service.
A y AMERICAN poet wrote:
~ Dark Gyiug rune against
the western glow
II tcllE the sweep and lone
illness OF things"
The writer OF these lines and 9th.
er poets have drawn inspiration
from the striking formations that
especially characterize the move
ments of swans, geese and ducks.
That flying wedge or undulating
line etched against the sunset sky
or the orderly swlft-moving forma-
tion high overhead Here Is the
symbol that inspires the imagina-
tion of even the casual observer, as
II has the poets who have written
Of flying wild fowl through the ages.
Behind this aura of glamour and
mystery lies the fascinating life
story of the majestic wild swans.
the wild geese. the hardy and
adaptable ducks. and the fish-loyIng
mergansers. They are fairly com
pact and homogeneous group of
birds. their only relatives of un-
doubted connection being the
screamers of South America. large.
goose-llke. wadIng birds with un-
webbed toes.
Geese and ducks are found all
over the world wherever water ex-
lists. except on the oceans far from
land.
Common to the order are a long
neck. sometimes very long; short
legs. webbed toes. and bin COW
cred with sensitive skin and pro-
ylded inside with comblike struc-
lures known as lamellae. modified in
the mergansers to sharp teeth for
holding slippery fish.
The eggs are without markings.
and the young. hatched covered with
down. are able 10 find their own
food very soon after they emerge
from the egg.
The graceful. snow-whlte swans.
sometimes five feet In length. make
up the first OF seven subfamilies
into which are divided the North
American members OF the suborder.
The other six are the geese, tree
ducks. surface-feedlng ducks, diving
ducks. stlff tailed ducks. and mer-
gansers.
Swans Highly Esteemed.
Much that has been written about
swans has been Influenced by their
aesthetic appeal This is apt TO dis
tort the facts 10 their advantage.
and II Is just as well, because no
other birds can provide the thrill
that a flock OF wild swans gives the
nature lover. First IN order and
I'm size. they have a form too uni
versally known TO require descrip-
tion. The two North American
species are so similar that they can
be differentiated with certainty only
By the character of their internal
structure and by their very distinct
voices.
The swans are perfect models of
conJugal conduct They mate for
life and the sexes share the domes-
tic responsibilities.
The downy young when first
hatched are not the ugly duck
lings7 OF popular belief, but love
ly little creatures, clothed In silky,
golden down and without the exag-
gerated neck and huge paddlelike
feet OF their parents. Very soon,
however, these characteristics begin
10 appear and ungainliness replaces
their natal loveliness until the grace
and beauty of maturity appear.
Fortunately, there is small II any
possibility of the determination OF
the whistling swan. and with care
full conservation it may even be pos
sible to perpetuate the trumpeter.
The goose family is well repre-
sented In North America, especially
in the West, where in some local
tiles six species may be seen on
the same ground.
Their extraordinary migrations
and the mystery Of their breeding
grounds intensity the interest that
both sportsmen and naturalists
take In these fine birds. Even yet,
there are a few whose summer
homes are unknown, while the sys-
tematic status of some races and
their relation to each other have
still to be worked out. Much study
IN the field, especially at their nest
ing grounds, is required to estab-
lish these facts.
Geese, like swans, pair for life,
md the young birds remain in the
company of their parents for nearly
q wear after they are hatched.
Geese Are Smart Birds.
Endowed with keen intelligence
and extreme wariness, they can be
depended on TO maintain fair de-
cree of abundance as long as ade-
ouate wlntering grounds are afford
ed them. But. above all, they, like