THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 211 



ent, not merely with truth, but even with probability ; 

 namely, that it results from the crossing and intermix- 

 ture of several wild species. None of these ancient 

 accounts indicate any such fact ; but on the contrary, 

 declare that the domestic goose was in the earliest 

 ages, (dating with respect to man,) exactly what it is 

 now. The very same arguments that are used to 

 show that the domesticated goose is a combination of 

 the "grey-legged," (Anser palustris,) "white-front- 

 ed," or "laughing goose," (A. albifrons^) and "bean 

 goose," (A. fcrus,) would equally prove that the Anglo- 

 Saxon race of men is derived from a mixture of the 

 Red Indian, the Yellow Chinese, and the tawny Moor. 



But the supposition that all our domesticated crea- 

 tures must necessarily have an existing wild original, 

 is a mere assumption ; and it has misled, and is likely 

 to mislead, investigators, as far from the truth as did 

 the old notion about fossil organic remains, that they 

 were Lithoschemata, as Aldrovandi has it, sketches 

 in stone, abortive efforts of Nature, imperfect embryos, 

 instead of fragmentary ruins of a former state of 

 things. Some naturalists seem already to have had 

 misgivings that such a theory respecting domestic 

 animals is not tenable. According to popular opinion, 

 the domestic goose is usually considered as having been 

 derived from the "grey-legged goose," but such a cir- 

 cumstance is rendered highly improbable from the 

 well-known fact that the common gander, after attain- 

 ing a certain age is invariably (?) white ! 



The origin of the domestic goose is indeed unknown 

 if we look to man, or his influence, to have originated 

 so valuable and peculiar a species ; but not unknown 

 if we believe it to have been created by the same Al- 

 mighty Power who animated the Mammoth, the Plesi- 

 Osaurus, the Dinornis, and the Dodo. For let us grant 

 that the grey-legged goose is the most probable exist- 

 ing parent to the domestic sort. Now, even that is 

 becoming a rare bird ; and the more scarce a creature 

 is in a wild state, the scarcer it is likely still to be- 



