136 



Handbook of Nature-Study 



GEESE 



Teacher's Story 



O be called a goose should be considered most com- 

 plimentary, for of all the birds the goose is probably 

 the most intelligent. An observant lady who 

 keeps geese on her farm assures me that no animal, 

 not even dog or horse, has the intelligence of the 

 goose. She says that these birds learn a lesson 

 after a few repetitions, and surely her geese were 

 patterns of obedience. While I was watching them 

 one morning, they started for the brook via the 

 com field; she called to them sharply, "No, no, 

 you mustn't go that way!" They stopped and conferred; she spoke 

 again and they waited, looking at her as if to make up their minds to this 

 exercise of self-sacrifice ; but when she spoke the third time they left the 

 corn field and took the other path to the brook. She could bring her 

 geese into their house at any time of day by calling to them, "Home, 

 home!" As soon as they heard these words, they would start and not 

 stop until the last one was housed. 



In ancient Greece maidens made pets of geese; and often there was 

 such a devotion between the bird and girl that when the latter died her 

 statue with that of the goose was carved on her burial tablet. The 

 loyalty of a pet goose came under the observation of Miss Ada Georgia. 

 A lone gander was the special pet of a small boy in Elmira, X. Y., who 

 took sole care of him. The bird obeyed commands like a dog but would 

 never let his little master out of his sight if he could avoid it ; occasionally 

 he would appear in the school yard, where the pupils would tease him by 

 pretending to attack his master at the risk of being whipped with his 

 wings so severely that it was a test of bravery among the boys to so chal- 

 lenge him. His fidelity to his master was extreme; once when the boy 



