262 DUCKS, GEESE, SWANS, AND PELICANS. 



The "Wild Goose. 



ExGLiSH Synonyms. — Grey Lag Goose : Montagu, Selby. Wild Goose : 

 Jenyns. Marsh Goose, Grey Lag, Grey Goose, Fen Goose. 



Latin Synonyms. — A^ias anser: Linn., Latham. Anser ferus: Temminck, 

 Jenyns, McGillivray. Anser pahcstris : Selby. Anser cinereus : Bona- 

 parte. 



Feench Synonym. — Oie Cendree : Temminck. 



The Wild Goose, tliough by no means elegant in form, lias 

 none of the awkwardness of the Domestic Goose, which is gene- 

 rally supposed to be descended from it. The body of Anser 

 ferus is large and full ; the neck long, at its upper part slender ; 

 the head proportionately small, ovate, oblong, and rather com- 

 pressed ; the feathers of the head are small, short, rounded and 

 blended, of a greyish brown ; those of the upper part of the 

 neck small and oblong, and arranged in ridges with deep inter- 

 vening grooves, gradually getting paler until it fades into greyish 

 white ; the wings are long, reaching 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. 



The Geese in many respects resemble the Ducks and Swans, but 

 they are less aquatic in their habits, keeping 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 they principally 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 are hatched. 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 

 beard 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 pro- 

 duced by two membranes placed in juxtajDOsition 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. 



