THE HISSING OF THE GOOSE. 243 
nearly to the end of the tail, the feathers of the fore part of the back 
and wings close, broad, and abrupt; the prevailing colour a bluish 
grey. 
Geese in many respects resemble ducks and swans, but they are 
less aquatic in their habits, keeping often at a distance from large 
bodies of water, and frequenting, by preference, moist meadows and 
marshes, where they find herbage and various kinds of seeds, on 
which to feed. ‘They swim very little, and seldom dive. They make 
their nests on the ground, and lay from six to eight eggs, which are 
hatched in rather more than one month. The young ones walk 
about and find their own food almost as soon as they leave the egg. 
Geese, especially the male birds, moult twice a year—in June and 
November. 
The noise made by a flock of Geese seeking their food can be 
heard at a great distance. ‘Their call, which is repeated at regular 
intervals, somewhat resembles the sound of a trumpet or clarion, and 
is accompanied by a continuous muttering noise in shorter notes. 
The hissing common to both Geese and Ducks is produced by two 
membranes placed in juxtaposition at the lower part of the trachea. 
‘These two membranes are situated side by side in the two bony and 
elongated openings of the internal larynx, from which the two prin- 
cipal bronchia have their origin. A close examination of this 
structure in the goose is supposed to have contributed to the invention 
of certain wind instruments, such as the flute, bassoon, bagpipes, 
clarionet, and even the organ. 
When attacked, the Goose makes a hissing noise similar to that of 
some serpents. Endeavours have been made to express this sound 
by the three Latin words sérefit, gratitat, stridet. ‘The slightest noise 
wakes them up, when they at once give the signal of alarm, which 
immediately warns the whole flock of approaching danger. ‘Thus, 
some authors have maintained that the Goose is. more vigilant than 
the dog ; and in proof of this, instance the story of the geese at the 
Capitol, whose wakefulness saved the Romans from an attempted, 
assault on the part of the Gauls. The Roman people, till the fall of 
the Empire, were grateful enough to award an annual sum for the 
maintenance of a certain number of these birds in their Capitol; 
and on the anniversary of the day when their services had been so 
valuable, they were in the habit of whipping the dogs in front of 
“the building, as a retrospective punishment for their culpable care- 
lessness. 
The Gauls, on the other hand, never pardoned the Goose, for 
having baffled their attack. Frenchmen, even in the present day, 
