60 THE HUNTER'S ARCADIA. 



what our surprise was, finding it nothing less than a 

 giant goose, may easily be imagined. 



I have shot pretty nearly everything, and wood- 

 ducks among the number, but it was the first time 

 that I had become acquainted with a wood-goose. 

 It was a splendid specimen, forty-two inches in entire 

 length, and must have weighed over a stone. The 

 claws on the toes were very sharp, particularly long, 

 and appeared to be partially retractile, without which 

 provision it would, I believe, be unable to stand erect 

 on a moderate-sized limb of a tree. 



Chapman, who came across this noble bird in 

 the vicinity of Lake Ngami, called it the A user 

 gambensis, and nowhere is it abundant, except in the 

 vicinity of large rivers, such as the Zambesi, Limpopo, 

 and their greater tributaries. As night was rapidly 

 approaching, I returned to the marsh to wait for 

 ducks, my friend proceeding to the wagons to 

 superintend the cuisine, in which department he was 

 well skilled. 



