3l8 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



prettiest of these stories is that of a gander in Germany who 

 used to lead a blind woman to church, taking the corner of 

 her apron in his beak, and wait quietly in the churchyard 

 until the service was over to conduct her home again. 

 Another goose was known to have a great affection for 

 soldiers and to regularly perform sentry duty, walking back- 

 wards and forwards for hours with his red-coated friends. 

 The Qoose and A more singular friendship than any perhaps, 



the Dog. was that existing between a goose and a dog, 

 thus described in "The Philosophical Magazine": 



"A species of goose, a native of Africa, belonging to a 

 person in Scotland, was observed some time ago to pay 

 particular attention to a dog which was chained up; a dog 

 which had previously manifested a great dislike to poultry, 

 never allowing them to come within reach of his chain. The 

 goose, finding she had nothing to fear from her canine friend, 

 would enter his kennel, in the centre of which, among the 

 straw, she made her nest and deposited her eggs, which was 

 not known till one of the family mentioned that the goose 

 slept in the dog's bosom. The singularity of the circumstance 

 led to an examination of the box, but not without the 

 greatest reluctance on the part of the dog, who appeared 

 determined to protect what was left to his charge. On 

 removing the straw, five eggs were discovered in a fine bed 

 of down and feathers. The dog was in the habit of going 

 into his box with the greatest care, for fear of injuring 

 the eggs." 



The Maternal The ^ ev - C. A. Bury gives a pathetic illustra- 

 instinct of the tion of the maternal instinct of the goose: 



"An old goose, that had been for a fortnight 

 hatching in a farmer's kitchen was perceived on a sudden 

 to be taken violently ill. She soon after left the nest, and 

 repaired to an outhouse where there was a young goose of 

 the first year, which she brought with her into the kitchen. 

 The young one immediately scrambled into the old one's 



