Teacher's Leaflet. 



1153 



With two scallops at one side. There are webs between three of the toes, the 

 hind toe being placed high up. The foot and the unfeathered portion of the {eg, 

 which reaches to the knee, are used as oars when the bird is swimming. Whe« 

 she swims forward rapidly the feet extend out behind her and act on the principle 

 of the propeller, but when swim- 

 ming around in the pond she 

 uses them at almost right angles 

 to the body. Although they are 

 such excellent oars they are 

 also good legs and feet on land, 

 for a goose can run rapidly, 

 since her legs are not placed 

 so far apart as the duck's she 

 does not waddle so awkwardly 

 when she runs; her body may 

 waddle somewhat, but her head 

 and neck never. 



Our most common geese are 

 the Toulouse. These are char- 

 acterized by a very large, short 

 head and a very short bill very 

 large at the base. The neck is 

 not very long and rather thick 

 and there is a dew-lap under the 

 throat. In color the head is 

 gray, the neck dark blue-gray 

 shading to lighter as it ap- 

 proaches the back, the back dark 

 gray, breast light gray, the tail 

 gray and white with the ends 

 tipped with white, the wings 

 dark gray, the bill is pale orange, 

 eyes brown, the shanks and toes 

 are reddish brown. The Emb- 

 den geese are pure white; they 

 have rather a longer neck than 

 the Toulouse breed which they 

 carry upright. The bill is orange, 

 the eyes bright blue, shanks and 

 toes deep reddish orange. The 

 African geese have a large head 

 with a large knob, the neck 

 long and curved with a dew-lap 

 at the throat. The head is black 

 or very dark gray, the knob and 



bill black, the eyes hazel or brown, neck light gray with a dark gray stripe down the 

 back, wings and tail dark gray, breast lighter gray, shanks and toes dark orange. 

 The Brown Chinese geese have a medium sized head with a large knob at the 

 base of the bill. The neck is long and gracefully arched, the head brown, the bill 



37 



flock of xvild geese — photographed from 

 directly underneath. By A. R. Dugmore. 



