THE BERNICLE GOOSE. 451 



reared ; not an inconsiderable increase, if we only kept them 

 to eat : but they have hitherto been chiefly valued as em- 

 bellishments to our ponds. Their small size renders them 

 suitable even for a very limited pleasure-ground, and they are 

 perhaps the very prettiest Geese that have yet appeared in 

 our menageries. The lively combination of black, white, gray, 

 and lavender, gives them the appearance of a party of ladies 

 robed in those becoming half-mourning dresses, that are worn 

 from etiquette rather than sorrow. The female differs little 

 from the male, being distinguished by voice and deportment 

 more than by plumage. Their short bill, moderate sized webs 

 of their feet, and rounded proportions, indicate an affinity to 

 the Cereopsis. The number of Eggs laid is six or seven; the 

 time of incubation about a month, but it is difficult to name 

 the exact period, from the uncertainty of knowing the precise 

 hour when the process commences. The Geese are steady 

 sitters. Their young had better be crammed with very small 

 pegs for the first week or so, after which they may be, entirely 

 confided to their parents. They are lively and active little 

 creatures, running hither and thither, and tugging at the 

 blades of grass. Their ground-colour is of a dirty white. 

 Their legs, feet, eyes, and short stump of a bill, are black. 

 They have a gray spot on the crown of the head, gray patches 

 on the back and wings, and a yellowish tinge about the fore- 

 part of the head. The old birds are very gentle in their dis- 

 position and habits, and are less noisy than most other Geese. 

 Waterton mentions an instance where the Gander paired with 

 a Canada Goose, a most disproportionately large mate for him 

 to select. The same thing has occurred in Norfolk, but in this 

 case the ludicrous union was altogether unproductive. 



The service they may render as weed-eaters should not be 

 forgotten, though their size alone precludes any comparison 

 of them with the Swan in this respect. Sir^W. Jardine saya 

 that he has observed their feeding-grounds to be extensive 



