GEESE. 645 



GEESE. 



GEESE have been domesticated for ages, having been held in great favor with the 

 ancient Eyptians, as is evidenced by their being frequently seen in their hieroglyphics. 

 As an article of food they are more highly esteemed in the Old World than on this 

 continent, where the turkey seems to take the first place among poultry. The flesh of the 

 goose is, however, highly valued in this country, and has a peculiarly rich flavor, although 

 more oily than the turkey or barn-fowl. There are fewer varieties of the domestic goose 

 than most of the other breeds of domestic fowls; the principal being the Toulouse, Embden, 

 Chinese, African, Egyptian, while we have also the Sebastopol, or frizzled goose, and several 

 wild varieties which are readily tamed, among the best of which are the American or Canadian 

 goose and the Grayleg of Europe. There is also the variety known as the Bean Goose, 

 which is easily domesticated, the Gambrian, Barnacle, etc., of the wild species. 



Geese will live to a great age, an age entirely out of proportion to the brief time 

 required for them to reach maturity. Birds of forty years of age are reported, while a recent 

 writer mentions a venerable &quot; grandmother goose &quot; of sixty years of age, still hale and 

 active. A work on poultry mentions a goose that at the time of writing was forty years old, 

 still laying yearly her clutch of eggs, and bringing forth a fine brood of goslings, while geese 

 of twenty years of age are by no means rare. Great numbers of geese are raised in Holland 

 and some portions of England and France. In the migration of wild geese, they almost 

 always retain the V-shaped ranks unbroken, being guided by their leader, who keeps up a 

 peculiar call as his phalanx follow him through the air. There are few, if any, birds that 

 mature so fast, which makes them profitable to raise, while their principal food being grass, 

 little expense is required in raising them. 



Toulouse Geese. These are the two largest geese known; they are very compact 

 in body, dignified in carriage, quiet and gentle in disposition. When three years old and 

 well fattened, they will frequently weigh forty-five to fifty pounds per pair, sometimes reach 

 ing as high as sixty pounds per pair. They will lay from thirty to forty eggs in a season, 

 and seldom sit. Their feathers are valuable, of which they will yield about half a pound at 

 one &quot;picking.&quot; The goslings are more hardy than the common variety, and grow very 

 rapidly, frequently weighing, when four or five weeks old, from six to eight pounds each, and 

 at three months, from fifteen to eighteen pounds. They require no food but pasturage, 

 except in winter. In color the geese and ganders are alike, but can be distinguished by the 

 form and voice, the gander being taller and more upright than the gbose, while they have 

 larger necks, a higher-keyed voice, and gobble in more rapid tones than the goose, which has 

 a low, deep voice. The color of the plumage of the head and neck is dark-gray, that of the 

 breast and body light-gray shading to a white under the body. The wings are dark-gray 

 or brown; tail gray and white, the ends of the feathers being tipped with white; color of bill 

 and feet a reddish-orange. The quality of flesh is good. 



Embden Geese. Among the varieties of domesticated geese, the Embden is regarded 

 by many as the most valuable. The body is large, broad, and deep; the neck rather long 

 and carried quite upright; head rather large, with large, bright-blue eyes; bill of medium size 

 and length and flesh-colored. The color of the plumage is pure white throughout; legs 

 orange-colored. In size they are nearly that of the Toulouse. They are hardy, early layers, 

 and frequently raise two broods in a single season. The eggs are large, with a rough, thick 

 shell, and white in color. Like the Toulouse, they will not commence laying until a 

 year old. 



