592 



A HISTORY OF 



deed the coldest countries seem to be their 

 most favoured retreats ; and the number of 

 water-fowl is much greater in those colder 

 climates, than in the warmer regions near the 

 line. The quantity of oil which abounds in 

 their bodies, serves as a defence against cold, 

 and preserves them in vigour against its 

 severity ; but the same provision of oil is 

 rather detrimental in warm countries, as it 

 turns rancid, and many of them die of disor- 

 ders which arise from its putrefaction. In 

 general, however, water-fowl can be properly 

 said to beof no climate; the element upon which 

 they live, being their proper residence. They 

 necessarily spend a few months of summer upon 

 land, to bring up their young ; but the rest of their 

 time is probably consumed in their migrations, 

 or near some unknown coasts, where their pro- 

 vision of fish is found in greatest abundance. 

 Before I go to the third general division of 



water-fowls, it may not be improper to observe, 

 that there is one species of round-billed water- 

 fowl, that does not properly lie within any of 

 the former distributions. This is the Goose- 

 ander ; a bird with the body and wings shaped 

 like those of the penguin kind, but with 

 legs not hid in the belly. It may be distin- 

 guished from all others by its bill, which is 

 round, hooked at the point, and toothed, both 

 upper and under chap, like a saw. Its colours 

 are various and beautiful : however, its man- 

 ners and appetites entirely resemble those of 

 the diver. It feeds upon fish, for which it 

 dives ; and is said to build its nest upon trees, 

 like the heron and the cormorant. It seems 

 to form the shade between the penguin and 

 the goose kind ; having a round bill like the 

 one ; and unembarrassed legs, like the other. 

 In the shape of the head, neck, and body, it 

 resembles them both. 



CHAPTEfc CXXXI. 



OF BIRDS OF THE GOOSE KIND, PROPERLY SO CALLED. 



THE Swan, the Goose, and the Duck, are 

 leaders of a numerous, useful, and beautiful 

 tribe of birds, that we have reclaimed from a 

 state of nature, and have taught to live in de- 

 pendence about us. To describe any of these, 

 would be as superfluous as definitions usually 

 are when given of things with which we are 

 already well acquainted. There are few that 

 have not had opportunities of seeing them, 

 and whose ideas would not anticipate our de- 

 scription. But, though nothing be so easy as to 

 distinguish these in general from each other, 

 yet the largest of the duck kind approach the 

 goose so nearly, that it may be proper to mark 

 the distinctions. 



The marks of the goose are, a bigger body, 

 large wings, a longer neck, a white ring about 

 the rump, a bill thicker at the base, slenderer 

 towards the tip, with shorter legs, placed more 

 forward on the body. They both have a 

 waddling walk ; but the duck, from the posi- 

 tion of its legs, has it in a greater degree. By 

 these marks, these similar tribes may be 

 known asunder; and though the duck should 



be found to equal the goose in size, which 

 sometimes happens, yet there are still other 

 sufficient distinctions. 



But they all agree in many particulars ; 

 and have a nearer affinity to each other than 

 the neighbouring kinds in any other depart- 

 ment. Their having been tamed, has pro- 

 duced alterations in each, by which they differ 

 as much from the wild ones of their respective 

 kinds, as they do among themselves. There 

 is nearly as much difference between the wild 

 and the tame duck, as between some sorts of 

 the duck and the goose ; but still the charac- 

 teristics of the kind are strongly marked and 

 obvious ; and this tribe can never be mistaken. 



The bill is the first great obvious distinction 

 of the goose kind from all of the feathered 

 tribe. In other birds it is round and wedge- 

 like, or crooked at the end. In all the goose 

 kind it is flat and broad, made for the purpose 

 of skimming ponds and lakes of the mantling 

 weeds that sland on the surface. The bills of 

 other birds are made of a horny substance 

 throughout; these have their inoffensive bills 



