302 DOMESTIC GOOSE. Chap. VIII 



persecuted by any enemies, the reduction of their wings had 

 probably been caused by gradual disuse. Hence, during the 

 earlier stages of the process of reduction, such birds would 

 probably have resembled our domesticated ducks in the state 

 of their organs of flight. This is the case with the water- 

 hen (Gallinula nesiotis) of Tristan d'Acunha, which " can 

 flutter a little,' but obviously uses its legs, and not its wings, 

 as a mode of escape." Now Mr. Sclater 19 finds in this bird 

 that the wings, sternum, and coracoids are all reduced in 

 length, and the crest of the sternum in depth, in comparison 

 with the same bones in the European water-hen (G. chlorojpus). 

 On the other hand, the thigh-bones and pelvis are increased 

 in length, the former by four lines, relatively to the same 

 bones in the common water-hen. Hence in the skeleton of 

 this natural species nearly the same changes have occurred, 

 only carried a little further, as with our domestic ducks, and 

 in this latter case I presume no one will dispute that they 

 have resulted from the lessened use of the wings and the in- 

 creased use of the leers. 



'& 



The Goose. 



This bird deserves some notice, as hardly any other anciently 

 domesticated bird or quadruped has varied so little. That 

 geese were anciently domesticated we know from certain 

 verses in Homer; and from these birds having been kept 

 (388 B.C.) in the Capitol at Eome as sacred to Juno, which 

 sacredness implies great antiquity. 20 That the goose has 

 varied in some degree, we may infer from naturalists not 

 being unanimous with respect to its wild parent-form ; 

 though the difficulty is chiefly due to the existence of three 

 or four closely allied wild European species. 21 A large 

 majority of capable judges are convinced that our geese are 

 descended from the wild Grey-leg goose (A. ferus) ; the 



19 ' Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' 1861, p. Poultry,' by Rev. E. S. Dixon, 1848, 

 261. P- 132. The goose figured on the 



20 ' Ceylon,' by Sir J. E. Tennent, Egyptian monuments seems to have 

 1859, vol. i. p. 485 ; also J. Crawfurd been the lied goose of Egypt. 



on the ' Relation of Domest. Animals 21 Macgillivrsy's 'British Birds,' 



to Civilisation,' read before Brit. vol. iv. p. 593. 

 Assoc. 1860. See also ' Ornamental 



