256 Habits of the Canada Goose. 



not permit her sooty companion to make too close an ap- 

 proach. Well, after the female goose has fully made up her 

 mind as to the locality of her nursery, she begins plucking 

 feathers, straws, and other soft materials, until she has at last 

 constructed a perfect feather-bed. Having laid her eggs, 

 generally six, which is one less than the number which usually 

 falls to the share of her neighbour the gallinule, she sits with 

 most exemplary patience, and, notwithstanding the proximity 

 of the water, which offers a great temptation, it is rare to 

 find her off her nest. During the period of incubation the 

 male is, through the greater part of the day, sailing " in 

 measured time and slow" over the water, never approaching 

 his mate very near, nor straying very far. On the approach 

 of any intruder he displays great uneasiness, and his tran- 

 quillity does not return till the danger is over. Shortly after 

 the goslings have extricated themselves from their brittle 

 covering, they are conducted to the water by the female goose, 

 when they are joined by the male, who brings up the rear. 

 The little family remain together till the return of the flock, 

 when all mix promiscuously, recruit themselves for a few days, 

 and then depart. 



In 1831, wishing to rear a pair of Canada geese, I crossed 

 over to the island on May 11, and procured two of the five 

 eggs on which the female had been sitting some weeks, and 

 put them under a duck which had also been sitting some time. 

 After two days they were hatched, and the duck was as com- 

 pletely deceived as ever pipit (^nthus Bechstein) or dunnoc 

 (Accentor Cuvier) were by the designing cucoo* (Cuculus 

 Willughby). They were, as might be expected, much larger 

 than ducklings, and their eyes were remarkably full. They 

 throve wonderfully under the protection of their foster-mother, 

 whom they were bidding fair soon to outstrip in size, when 

 unluckily one of them was accidentally trod on. The surviv- 

 ing bird (which turned out to be a female) displayed great 

 affection towards her tiny parent, following her about wherever 



* I have omitted the k, in order that the written symbols may the more 

 faithfully represent the sound made by the bird, who does not say cuc-koo, 

 but cu-coo. Formerly this name was always, and sometimes is now, 

 written cuckow. Neither the French, German, nor Latin names have the 

 superfluous letter in the middle. Several other names of animals have 

 become corrupted in like manner ; such as redpole for redpoll, feldefare 

 for fieldfare, cole tit for coal tit [VII. 148. note *], bul-finch for bull- 

 finch (this name is altogether erroneous, and ought to be discarded by the 

 ornithologist ; together with goatsucker (nightjar), water ouzel (dipper), 

 and several others) ; grossbeak for grosbeak ; greyhound for graihound 

 (see VII. 323.) ; hoopoe for hoopoo ; osifrage for ossifrage (Ossifraga 

 albicflla W.), &c. 



