THE WHITE CHINA GOOSE. 447 



circumstances. You will see both varieties of Brown and 

 White China Geese on the water in St. James's Park. My 

 Geese were from imported parents, and were hatched on board 

 ship from China." 



On visiting town, in May, 1848, my efforts to get a sight of 

 any White China Geese were unavailing. There were none 

 left in St. James's Park ; there were not any in the Surrey 

 Gardens, choice as that collection is; nor were any visible at 

 the principal places where Poultry is offered for sale. The 

 Zoological Society had parted from their specimens, in con- 

 sequence of being overstocked with other things. Their head 

 keeper seemed only to consider them in the light of a variety 

 of the Cygnb'ides, but he spoke most decidedly of his experience 

 of the permanence, not only of this variety, but also of that of 

 the dark-legged, and the red-legged sorts of the brown kind, 

 thus indicating three races, which, I repeat, would be con- 

 sidered as species were they now discovered for the first time, 

 on three islands even of the same group. 



From this difficulty I was most kindly relieved by receiving 

 a pair of White China Geese, through Mr. Whitaker's means. 

 They are larger than the Brown China Geese, apparently more 

 terrestial in their habits ; the knob on the head is not only of 

 greater proportions, but of a different shape. If they were 

 only what is commonly meant by a variety of the dark sort, it 

 is a question whether the bill would not retain its original 

 jetty black, whatever change occurred to the feet and legs, in- 

 stead of assuming a brilliant orange hue. If the bird were an 

 Albino, the bill would be flesh-coloured, and the eyes would 

 be pink, not blue. 



Mr, Knight, of Frome, in whose possession they had been 

 for three years, states that he has been unable to obtain any 

 young from the Eggs of the Goose ; but if he -supplies her with 

 Eggs of the Common Goose, she invariably hatches and reara 

 the Goslings. Separate trials of each of the pair with the 



