cks and heads from bent willow
sticks; as well as roughly staining the completed models to represent
the plumage. And while he worked he talked of the coming of the birds
in spring.

"My son, the first birds to arrive are the eagles; next, the snow-birds
and the barking crows (ravens); then the big gray (Canada) geese, and
the larger ducks; then the smaller kinds of geese and the smaller kinds
of ducks; and then the robins, blackbirds, and gulls. Then, as likely
as not, a few days later, what is called a 'goose winter'--a heavy, wet
snowstorm followed by colder weather--may come along and try to drive
the birds all back again; but before the bad weather completes its
useless work a timely south wind may arrive, and with the aid of a
milder spell, will utterly destroy the 'goose winter'. Then, after
that, the sky soon becomes mottled with flying birds of many kinds:
gray geese, laughing geese, waveys, and white geese, as well as great
flocks of ducks of many kinds; also mud-hens, sawbills, waders,
plovers, curlew, pelicans, swans, and cranes, both white and gray.
Then another great flight of little birds as well as loons. And last
of all may come the little husky geese that travel farther north to
breed their young than do those of any other kind."

The next day the hunters built a "goose stand" on the sandy beach of
Willow Point by making a screen about six feet long by three feet high
of willow branches; and, as the ground was wet and cold, a brush
mattress was laid behind the screen upon which the hunters could sit
while watching for geese. The site was a good one, as Willow Point
jutted into the lake near a big marsh on its south side. Beyond the
screen they set their decoys, some in the water and others on the sand,
but all heading up wind. When they shot their first geese, the hunters
cut off the wings and necks together with the heads and fastened them
in a natural way upon the decoys.

Oo-koo-hoo told me that when one wished to secure geese, he should be
in readiness to take his position behind the stand before the first
sign of morning sun. Furthermore, he told me that geese were usually
looking for open water and sandy beaches from eight to nine o'clock;
from ten to twelve they preferred the marshes in order to feed upon
goose grass and goose weed, as well as upon the roots and seeds of
other aquatic plants. Then from noon to four o'clock they sought the
lakes to preen themselves; while from four to