336 GEESE. 



their bed-chambers ; three rows of wicker pens are placed one 

 above another in every department; each Goose having its 

 separate lodge divided from the others, of which it keeps 

 possession during the time of sitting. A person called a 

 gozzard attends the flock, and twice a day drives the whole to 

 water, then brings them back to their habitations, helping 

 those that live in the upper stories to their nests, without 

 ever misplacing a single bird. They are, as we have observed 

 in treating of Feathers (p. 66), plucked frequently, we believe 

 not less than five times a year ; the first plucking being on 

 Lady-day, for feathers and quills; the remaining pluckings, 

 between that time and Michaelmas, being for feathers only. 

 The old Geese submit with tolerable patience to this barbarous 

 operation, but the young ones are noisy and unruly. Even 

 Goslings of six weeks old are not spared; their tails being 

 plucked, as it is said, to habituate them to future plucking. 



When ready for the London market, flocks, from two to nine 

 thousand in number, are sent off, travelling slowly from three 

 in the morning until nine at night, during which time they 

 will accomplish, on an average, about eight or ten miles. 



Those who live near commons can turn the rearing of a few 

 Geese to good account, and might reap still greater advantages 

 if they paid due attention. If well kept, a Goose will lay not 

 far short of one hundred eggs a year. The French, who under- 

 stand the management of poultry much better than we do, put 

 their Goose-eggs under large hens of common fowls, in the pro- 

 portion of from four to five eggs to each ; and under Turkeys, 

 to which they give nine or ten. When the Goslings are hatched, 

 they are kept in a warm place for about four or five days, and 

 fed on barley-meal, mixed, if possible, with milk, and then 

 they will begin to graze. 



Thus much for the attention due to the Goose for its pecu- 

 niary worth ; but beyond this, it has qualities, we might almost 

 say, of the mind, of a very singular character : we mean, the 

 unaccountable constancy arid affection which it has been known 

 to show not only to its own species, and to other birds and 

 animals, but more particularly to man. And it is not impro- 

 bable that these qualities, which, as we shall soon show, were 



