1IC.2 Home Nature-Study Course. 



(6). Are the wings of the goose large compared with the body? How 

 do geese exercise their wings ? Tell what you can of the powers of flight 

 of wild geese. 



(7). Describe the tail of the goose and how it is used. 



(8). How do the legs and feet of geese differ from those of a duck? 

 Describe the goose's foot. How many toes are webbed? Where is the 

 other toe? What is the shape of the track made by geese? Which por- 

 tions of the legs are used for oars ? When a goose is swimming forward 

 where are her feet? When turning around how does she use them? 



(9). Does a goose waddle when walking or running as a duck does? 

 Why? Does a goose toe in when walking? _Why? 



(10). Describe in shape and color the Toulouse, the Embden, the 

 African and the Chinese geese. 



Facts for teachers. — The duck is beautiful only when on the water or on the 

 wing. Its short legs placed far back and at the side render it very ungraceful on 

 land. But a goose is a beautiful bird wherever seen; its long legs give it good 

 proportions when walking and the neck being so much longer than that of 

 the duck is graceful and gives a stately and dignified air to the bird. 



The bill of the goose is harder in texture and is not flat like the duck's ; it has 

 a high ridge from the forehead to the tip ; the nostrils are large and are placed in 

 the beak less than half-way from the forehead to the tip. The plumage of geese 

 is very beautiful and very thick ; for this reason they are raised for their feathers. 

 The "picking" occurs late in summer or early in the fall when the feathers are 

 nearly ready to be moulted. At this time the geese flap their wings often and 

 set showers of loose feathers flying. A stocking or bag knit for the purpose is 

 slipped over the bird's head, she is turned breast side up and the head is held 

 between the knees or under the arm of the picker. The tips of the feathers are 

 seized with the fingers and come out easily. Only the breast, the under parts and 

 the feathers beneath the wings are plucked; the feathers from a living bird are 

 much more elastic than those taken from dead specimens. Geese do not seem to 

 suffer when picked except from the temporary inconvenience and ignominy of 

 having their heads thrust in a bag. 



The wings of geese are very large and beautiful; although our domestic geese 

 have lost their powers of flight to a great extent yet they often stretch their wings 

 and take little flying hops. When watching them thus rapidly teetering along with 

 flapping wings as if they could scarcely keep on earth, I have wondered if it were 

 not a remnant of the old instinct for traveling in the skies. Wild geese have 

 remarkable powers of flight ; they make their bi-annual migrations of several 

 thousand miles with ease and rapidity. The time taken for a flock in the form of 

 a flying wedge to traverse our line of vision requires but a few moments. The 

 tail of the goose is a half circle and is spread when flying, although it is short 

 it seems to be sufficiently long to act as a rudder. 



The legs of geese are much longer than those of the duck. They are not set 

 so far back toward the rear of the body and, therefore, the goose is a much better 

 runner than the duck. The track of a goose's foot is in the shape of a triangle 



