Greedy Gaggles Last week a plea was made for the
preservation of a certain albino wild goose by whose most visible presence a problem of migration might be solved. This week I have seen a request for the slaying of geese. A very considerable gaggle or two—good fourteenth century word—has landed from Scandinavia on the coast of Lincolnshire, and in its hunger is taking heavy toll—so it is alleged—of autumn-sown corn. Geese are great grain-feeders, but this taste is generally observed on the stubbles. It is rare for them to dig for their grain, at any rate on any consider- able scale. Larks (which also migrate to us from the North in good numbers) are often abused by farmers for the damage they inflict in autumn-sown corn ; but my experience is that the harm is only apparent: the drilled rows look' untidy after the ministrations of a bevy ; but the crop is none the worse in the sequel. It may be hoped that the account of the greed of the geese (the species is not specified) has similarly been exaggerated. At any rate let the gunman avoid any bird with unusual plumage.
Previous page
