GEESE 161 



Common geese. Throughout Europe and America the ordi- 

 nary geese are of much the same type as their wild progenitor. 

 They are a little heavier and coarser than the Gray Lag Goose, 

 and have not its great power of flight, yet some of them can fly 

 better than any other domestic poultry. The author has seen 

 flocks of common geese fly from a high hill over the roofs of 

 tall buildings at its foot and alight in a stream fully an eighth 

 of a mile from where they started. It is perhaps needless to say 

 that they always walked home. Such geese were hard-meated 

 and tough except when quite young. They were geese that 

 picked the most of their living where food was none too plenty. 

 Well-kept stocks of common geese have probably always been 

 very good table poultry. 



Improved races. In various parts of Europe the common 

 geese have somewhat distinctive race characteristics. The Roman 

 Geese are supposed to be the oldest distinct race. They differ 

 from ordinary geese in that the prevailing color is white, and 

 they are more prolific layers. The Pomeranian Goose, found 

 throughout Germany and Southeastern Europe, is somewhat 

 larger. The female of this race is usually white, the male white 

 with a gray back. Because of the peculiar markings of the male 

 this variety is sometimes called the Saddleback Goose. The 

 Emden and Toulouse Geese are very large. The Emden was 

 developed in Germany, where it was at one time called the 

 Brunswick Goose. The first specimens seen in America came 

 from Bremen in 1826 and were called Bremen Geese. They 

 had been known in England for a long time and had become 

 very popular there under the name of " Emden Geese." The 

 name "Bremen" was used in this country until about 1850, 

 when the English name was adopted. 



The Toulouse Goose is a very large gray goose which origi- 

 nated in a goose-growing district in the vicinity of Toulouse in 

 the South of France. It was introduced into England about 

 1840 and into America about fifteen years later. 



