GEESE AND SWANS 



457 



stock are often evident. The relation to the Brown China, too, is 

 often manifest. No doubt continuous and somewhat irregular cross- 

 ing has had much to do with these appearances, but it would be 

 quite absurd to suppose that only recent crosses have influenced 

 the development of these varieties. 



The American Wild Goose. While not, strictly speaking, a do- 

 mestic race, the Wild Goose, also called Canadian Goose, is a factor 

 of some importance in commercial goose culture. Along the North 

 Atlantic coast considerable numbers are bred in captivity, the 

 young being sold to hunters of wild geese for decoys. Where so 

 bred they are largely used for crossing with domesticated races. 

 The progeny of the cross is sterile, showing that this is a different 

 species. The weight is about the same as the common goose, though 

 the wild bird, because of its more compact form and shorter plum- 

 age, appears smaller. The color of the body is gray, the head and 

 neck black, the cheeks having white marks ; some brown color 

 appears in the flight feathers of the wings. 



TABLE XXIV. AMERICAN STANDARD WEIGHTS OF GEESE 



These are ordinary, average weights. A considerable proportion of stock of 

 the heavier varieties is below the Standard weight for exhibition specimens, 

 but many specimens are above these weights. Emden and Toulouse geese 

 5 pounds above Standard weights are not rare in America. In England 

 these varieties are grown still larger, Emdens weighing 30 pounds for males 

 and 28 pounds for females ; Toulouse, 28 pounds for males and 26 for females. 

 As a rule, only the Emden and Toulouse varieties are approved by goose 

 growers wishing to breed a large variety pure. Both are used extensively for 

 grading up common stock. As they run in America, where the Toulouse is 

 far more popular, the Toulouse is larger than the Emden and many of the latter 

 are poor layers. The African is also used to some extent for grading, but the 

 difference in type makes it less desirable. On the other hand, the cross of the 



