346 WILD GEESE. 



Another somewhat similar instance occurred at Astbury, 

 near Congleton, in Cheshire. Several Geese were feeding near 

 a barn, where some men were threshing, and a Sparrow near 

 them, when a Hawk suddenly pounced upon the latter, and 

 would inevitably have carried it off, had not the Gander flown 

 to its rescue, and with its beak struck the Hawk so violent a 

 blow, that it was stunned, and taken up by one of the threshers. 

 The Goose is, in truth, by no means a cowardly bird, and will 

 often, when excited, defend himself very courageously — a 

 quality of which the Russians seem well aware, as it is not an 

 uncommon thing in that country, instead of training up Game 

 Cocks for righting, to have what are termed Goose-pits, where 

 they are regularly trained for the sport. The birds are taught 

 to peck at each other's shoulders, so as to draw blood ; and 

 well-trained Ganders have been known to sell as high as twenty 

 pounds, and betting upon them runs very high. This cruel 

 sport takes place in March.* 



Our domestic Geese are partially descended from the marsh 

 or fen Goose which, though originally a wild species, is more 

 easily tamed than some others, particularly if taken young. 

 Not but that some of this race may be domesticated. In 

 America, where vast flights pass to the northward to breed, 

 the people shoot them in great numbers ; and as many, owing 

 to their wide spread of wing, are often merely pinioned, they 

 are kept alive, and in process of time have been made so. tame, 

 that having been let out in the morning, they returned in the 

 evening. Several have been thus kept for many years ; but, 

 although they constantly associated with the farmyard Geese, 

 they were never known to breed with them. Under particular 

 circumstances, a wild Goose has, indeed, been known to throw 

 itself under the protection of man. Thus an officer settled on 

 a farm near the Missouri, in North America, one day, when 

 walking near the banks of the river, observed a large Eagle 

 frequently darting towards the water, and then rising again. 

 On a near approach, he perceived that its object was to take a 

 wild Goose, which had alighted on the water, and which was 

 diving to avoid so powerful an memy. Its efforts, however, 

 * Gkanvillk's Russia. 



