RAISIKG GEESE. 215 



ness, and prolificness are concerned, the Toulouse and 

 Embden are superior to all other sorts, and mature early. 



The common gray goose possesses the markings of its 

 parent, the wild goose of Europe and Asia, known in 

 England as the " Gray Lag." The fine variety known 

 as the Toulouse has the same colors, except that the dark 

 plumage is of much richer hues, and, by contrast at least, 

 the light feathers whiter, while the bill and legs are of a 

 deep orange color. The Toulouse geese early develop a 

 deep-hanging fold of skin, pendent, like the keel of a 

 boat, beneath the body. The evidence that the breed 

 originated in the vicinity of Toulouse, in France, is 

 meagre. Nevertheless, we cannot countenance the sug- 

 gestion that they received their name because their skin 

 was too loose for them. The first of the variety which 

 were seen in England came, it is said, from Marseilles, 

 in the south of France. Those purchased probably came 

 from Toulouse to Marseilles, for this name is applied to 

 no distinct variety in France. 



Toulouse geese, when not inordinately forced for ex- 

 hibition, are hardy, early layers, and reasonably prolific, 

 often raising two broods of goslings a year. The young 

 early take care of themselves on good pasture, and grow 

 with astonishing rapidity. It is not well to let them 

 depend wholly upon grass, but at first to give a little 

 wet-up oatmeal daily, and afterwards a few oats or hand- 

 fuls of barley, thrown into a trough or shallow pool to 

 which they have access. These fine fowls attain, on a 

 good grass range, nearly double the weight of common 

 geese, and, forced by high feeding, a pair have been known 

 to reach the weight of sixty pounds. Twenty-pound 

 geese are not rare. Early goslings, if well fed, will at- 

 tain that weight at Christmas. The fact is, that com- 

 mon geese make a poor show upon the table unless they 

 are very fat. This is distasteful to many persons, and 

 they can hardly be very fat before the late autumn, be- 



