Bird Brains

Chickens and geese have more brains that we have given them credit for and more than some members of Congress who care little for the less fortunate.  This from Nicholas Kristof--
"The nobility of geese was most on display at execution time.  My job as an 11-year-old when we beheaded the geese was to capture a bird and take it to the chopping block as my dad wielded the ax. So I would rush at the terrified flock and randomly grab an unlucky goose.  The bird in my arms would honk in terror and try to escape, and the other geese would cower in the corner of the barn.
       Then one goose would emerge from the flock and walk tremulously toward me, terrified but unwilling to abandon its mate.  It would waddle after me toward the chopping block, trying to honk comfort to its mate."  NYT Oct. 20, 2013