GIANT GANDER'S FATE

Shannon News, 25 February 1927, Page 3

GIANT GANDER'S FATE

HALF-BREED WHICH STRAYED. VICTIM OF SPORTSMAN'S GUN. Trailing a half-breed gander from its birthplace near Dimmit, Texas, all the way to Canada in a futile effort to learn its fate and to be informed later that the fowl was the victim of a sportsman's gun in far off Alberta was one of the experiences of Mr. ICdwin Ramey, farmer and ranchman, in his work of domesticating wild geese, says an American correspondent. It is by permission of the United States Government that Mr. Ramey keeps wild geese on his ranch for the purpose of conducting experiments m crossing them with tame geese and of studying their characteristics. He has been devoting much time to this work for the last 14 years. In the spring of 1923 Mr. Ramey succeeded in making one of his domestic geese with a big Canadian wild gander. As a result of this mating he raised a half-breed gander of giant size. In the following spring his gander began to manifest the wild strain that was in his blood. He would poise in his short flights over the ranch and seem to listen for the call out of the unknown north. Then one morning a flock of wild geese came up from the south and settled down upon one of the ranch ponds to feed. In this flock was a trim, beautiful young goose. The half-breed gander picked up his wings and went over for a visit. He must have fallen in love at first sight, for when the flock gave wing for the far north a few hours later this wild gander held an outpost position with his newly-won mate by its side. The departure of the half-breed gander with the wild flock was witnessed by Mr. Ramey. To him it was not entirely unexpected, but he wanted to find out more about the habits of the fugitive and to bring him back ot the ranch if he could find him, so later in the summer ot that year he and Mrs. Ramey wont to Alberta and made inquiries o: many sportsmen and others if they had seen anything of a gander of tinusual size and beauty. Nothing came of this visit, but the sad newt of the tragic' death of the gander came to Mr. Ramey recently. H? received a letter from Mr. J. H. Dow dell, president of the Penn. Minofc Edmonton, Alberta, stating that n< had killed this gander. Mr. Dowdell's letter said: Whin hunting geese near Lake Minitou, on the border of Saskatchewan and A-i berta, I shot a goose and with a ta» on its leg bearing your name and ad dress. This goose was the leader u> a flock and the largest one we got.'