CANADA GOOSE: 181 



to sound his bugle note, our goose, in whom its new 

 habits .and enjoyments had not quite extinguished the 

 love of liberty, remembering the well known sound, 

 spread its wings, mounted into the air, joined the 

 travellers, and soon disappeared. In the succeeding 

 autumn, the wild geese, as was usual, returned from 

 the northward in great numbers, to pass the winter in 

 our bays and rivers. Mr Platt happened to be standing in 

 his yard when a flock passed directly over his barn. At 

 that instant, he observed three geese detach themselves 

 from the rest, and, after wheeling round several times, 

 alight in the middle of the yard. Imagine his surprise 

 and pleasure, when, by certain well remembered si^ns, 

 he recognized in one of the three his long lost fugitive. 

 It was she indeed ! She had travelled many hundred 

 miles to the lakes ; had there hatched and reared her 

 offspring ; and had now returned with her little family, 

 to share with them the sweets of civilized life. 



" The truth of the foregoing relation can be attested 

 by many respectable people, to whom Mr Platt has 

 related the circumstance as above detailed. The birds 

 were all living, and in his possession, about a year ago, 

 and had shewn no disposition whatever to leave him." 



The length of this species is three feet ; extent, five 

 feet two inches ; the bill is black ; irides, dark hazel ; 

 upper half of the neck, black, marked on the chin and 

 lower part of the head with a large patch of white, its 

 distinguishing character ; lower part of the neck before, 

 white; back and wing-coverts, brown, each feather 

 tipt with whitish; rump and tail, black; tail-coverts 

 and vent, white ; primaries, black, reaching to the 

 extremity of the tail ; sides, pale ashy brown ; legs and 

 feet, blackish ash. 



The male and female are exactly alike in plumage. 



