the gander

In the late summer of the year following the Rebellion, the pigs uncovered yet another of Snowball's machinations: the wheat crop was full of weeds, and it was discovered that Snowball had mixed weed seeds with the seed corn during one of his nocturnal visits. A gander who had been privy to the plot confessed his guilt to Squealer and immediately committed suicide by swallowing deadly nightshade berries. The incident deepened the atmosphere of suspicion and terror on the farm, as even those who had merely been aware of Snowball's activities faced the ultimate penalty, whether self-inflicted or imposed by the regime.