Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Branta canadensis.
Lake Umbagog, Maine.
1894. Although I had no intention of doing any shooting I took
Sept.29. the little 20 gauge gun with a few shells. It was well that
I did so for an unexpected piece of good luck befell me -
nothing less than the killing of a fine Canada Goose - the
third that I have thus far bagged and the first that I have
shot here. Jim and I with a young Upton hunter, Godwin by
name, were standing on Black Island reef and I was in the act
of taking a photograph of the rocky island just above the reef
when happening to look up I saw a huge bird coming from up
the Lake. At first I took it for a Great Blue Heron but as
it set its wings and scaled swiftly down a steep incline to-
wards the water I saw that it was a Canada Goose. It alight-
ed on the south side of the island within a few yards of the
rocky shore to which it swam and then clambered up on a rock.
I exposed my plate and Jim and I discussed the situation. We
were scarce 100 yards from the bird and in plain sight of it.
There seemed no hope of approaching it but we quickly agreed
that the only possible chance was to paddle out into the Lake
and getting behind the island to land and stalk it on shore.
Godwin was to remain on the reef for the chance of a flying
shot. To my great surprise the Goose did not show any alarm
at our movements although we took down the camera and em-
barked in full view of it. Once as we were paddling out of
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