Preview
Circa Date
circa 1887
Transcription
27
We are usually visited in March or April by [flocks of] wandering geese who get tired or hungry in crossing the range or driven down by stress of snows. They come in large flocks by the river canon bur after being hunted & shot at are oftentimes [are] sorely puzzled & bewildered in trying to get out of the valley [again]. I have frequently seen them rise from the meadow or river, & after circling round in a spiral until a height of 400 or 500 feet [is] was reached form ranks & fly confidently towards the wall on either side as if fully resolved to fly over it & make good their escape from the hunters but evidently the height of Yosemite walls [magnitudes are] seem to be as deceptive to [the eyes of] geese as to [those of] men, for they suddenly find themselves against the walls not a fourth of the way up to the top, then breaking ranks in confusion with loud troubled cries [of astonishment & trouble] they steady themselves [recover themselves] reform their ranks & try again & again until tired out [they are] compelled to alight [again] to rest, & thus expose themselves to the guns of the hunters. Finally they find the way out down the valley the only door open for them.
I have seen large flocks pass high above
28
Yosemite on their way across the range to the large inland lakes, but strong as they are of wind & wing they cannot fly over [our] the Yo [Yosemite] walls by starting from the floor of the valley. They must go back down the foothills & take a fresh start.
A pair of [Grey] Golden Eagles have wintered here spending their nights in the Indian Canon groves
Have seem them pursuing a wounded goose one that been shot, & flew with difficulty did not see the result but no doubt the goose was cooked. (see Yas. p. [page] 162.)
Spring March 27th
Frogs. & willows etc Trees
Frogs are already singing in the meadow & a fine hearty song they sing, not at all abashed or frightened by the thunder [tones] of the falls, [nor]
On the warm N [north] side of the valley young Carex sprouts are an inch high & the [sterile] male aments of the alder are about ripe. The libocedrus is shedding its pollen, some of the willows are putting out their [silky] catkins & flies & a multitude of swelling buds are telling the coming of spring
Date Occurred
1871-1874
Resource Identifier
MuirReel31 Notebook11 Img017.jpg
Contributing Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library
Rights Management
To view additional information on copyright and related rights of this item, such as to purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish them, click here to view the Holt-Atherton Special Collections policies.
