Show aa J W n 4 I 1 geese in the shadow of the pyramids prepared PrepA by national geographic society D C service AN AME AMERICAN nICAN poet wrote A dark flying rune against the jf western estern glow it tells tells the sweep and loneliness 1 0 s 8 of things the writer of 0 f these hese t lines and other roots poets have drawn inspiration from the striking formations that especially characterize the movements of swans geese and ducks that flying wedge or undulating g line etched against the sunset sky or the orderly swift moving formation high overhead here Is the symbol that inspires the imagination tion of even the casual observer as a it has the poets who have written sf t flying wild fowl through the ages behind this aula aai of glamour and mystery lies iles the fascinating life story of the majestic wild swans the wily geese the hardy aid adaptable ducks and the fish loving lovan mergansers sers they are a fairly compact and homogeneous group of birds their only relatives of undoubted connection being the screamers of south america large gooselike goose like wading birds with toes geese and ducks are found all over the world wherever water exists except on the oceans far ar from land common to tho the order are a long neck sometimes vry very long iong short legs webbed toes and a bill covered with sensitive skin and provided inside with tomblike com blIke structured known as lamellae lamellate lam ellae modified in the mergansers nier anders sers to sharp teeth for holding slippery fisa the eggs are without markings and ithe the young hatcher covered with down are able to find their own food very soon eoon after they emerge from the egg the graceful snowwhite snow white swans sometimes five tet feet t et in iii length make up the first of seven subfamilies sub families into which are divided the north american members of the suborder the other six are the geese tree ducks surface feeding ducks diving ducks stiff tailed ducks and mergansers sers swans highly esteemed much bluch that has been written about swans has been influenced by their aesthetic appeal this Is apt to distort the facts to their advantage and it Is just as well because no other birds can provide the thrill that a flock of cf wild swans gives the nature lover first in order and in size they have a form too universally known to require description 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 domestic responsibilities ties the downy young when first hatched are not the ugly ducklings duc klings of popular belief but lovely little creatures clothed in silky golden down and without the exaggerated neck and huge padd ellke feet of their parents very soon however these characteristics begin to appear and ungainliness replaces their natal loveliness until the grace and beauty of maturity appear fortunately there Is small if any possibility of the extermination of the whistling swan and with careful conservation it may even be possible to perpetuate the trumpeter the goose family Is well represented in north america especially in the west where in some localities six species may be seen on the same ground their extraordinary migrations and the mystery of their breeding grounds intensify the interest that both sportsmen and naturalists natura lists take in these fine birds even yet there are a few whose summer homes are unknown while the systematic status of some races and their relation to each other have still to be worked out much study in the field especially at their nesting grounds Is required to establish these facts geese like swans pair for life and the young birds remain in the company y of their parents for nearly a year after they are arc hatched batched geese are smart birds bird endowed with keen intelligence and extreme wariness they can be depended on to maintain a fair degree of abundance as long as adequate wintering grounds are afforded them but aboe all they like ilka swans require freedom from molestation when they are at rest so go that a large measure of solitude and wide spaces are the chief requirements for their perpetuation both families have a lower rate of reproduction than ducks as they require several years to attain maturity and aind the number of eggs laid Is much smaller than with roost most species of due ducks whether by day or night geese do a lot af pf p calling while in flight when migrating high overhead the clamor of their voices falling from the sky draws attention to the flock in arrowhead formation cleaving the upper air species cli can be identified by their different voices when feadin feeding they are silent only gabbing a little to each other in low tones ones the first appearance of danger will bring a warning challenge from the sentinel and every head Is erected while the danger Is scrutinized both geese and swans are noted for their longevity the latter being among the of the bird world there Is actual record of a mute swan that lived seventy years while rather uncertain report has attributed even a greater age to the birds somewhat intermediate between ducks and geese are the tree ducks they have only two representatives north of the mexico united states boundary and neither of these penetrates much to the north of this line their name Is misleading in our own territory as here we seldom see them perching in trees and their n nests ests are on the ground the great group of ducks Is divided into two main sections the surface feeding and diving ducks while these names actually afford a general basis of distinction it does not follow that surface feeders never dive for their food nor that diving ducks never feed on the surface to separate the groups look at the foot in the diving ducks the hind toe has a lobe so that it resembles a little paddle in the surface feeding group it Is not particularly specialized how to identify ducks it if sportsmen wish to identify the ducks they shoot in all it Is 13 essential that they recognize the distinction between the two groups by the hind toe formula stiff tailed ducks fall under the category of diving ducks but la in many features of structure plumage and life characters they are further removed from true ducks than are the mergansers sers the sometimes pugnacious and somewhat ludicrous appearing ruddy duck Is the sole representative of the stiff tailed ducks in the UnIted states and canada although althou ah a south american species the masked duck has been twice recorded in the easterie easte eastern rii states as a straggler mergansers sers the last of the duck group are ducks with a narrow specialized ciali zed bill edged with saw teeth which enable them to catch and devour good sized fish their feet though proportionately smaller resemble those of the diving ducks in having a paddle shaped hind toe ducks for the most part are very different from swans and geese in their family habits while they pair much like other birds and are not as a rule polygamous or polyandrous the male in most species Is not a constant hus bus band and abandons the female and all family cares as soon as incubation of the eggs Is well under way stiff tailed ducks are notable exceptions to this rule and in some true ducks like the elders the male Is 1 not altogether indifferent to his family obligations labrador duck Is extinct mention should be made of the extinct labrador duck labra dorIns the last verified record ot of which was a bird taken in 1875 the passing of this species Is a mystery which cannot be accounted for even from the earliest days for which we have any record of the bird it was a scarce species in the limited area of its range on the north atlantic coast frequenting the shoal water of the shallow bays it could not have been in much demand for food and few were brought in to the markets there la Is no record of its nesting nor even with any certainty of its summer home although it was a diving duck the peculiar shape of its bill suggests that it sifted its food in shallow water of all the questions relating to wild fowl the problem of their perpetuation Is the most important every one naturally takes an interest in their conservation and wishes to see sec ao an increase in their numbers but unfortunately there are two divergent schools ae at work one that wishes to protect wild fowl from the viewpoint that they pr provide sport and the opposite group that insists they be protected vigorously and all shooting be abolished for the good of the wild fowl of north america it Is essential that these different views be reconciled and a concerted course of action that has bag the support of all parties Is unquestionably the goal for which we must strive |