BIRDS. 417 



prolific powers increase in proportion to its ease ; and thougb 

 the wild goose seldom lays above eight eggs, the tame goose is 

 often seen to lay above twenty. The female hatches her eggs 

 with great assiduity ; while the Gander visits her twice or thrice 



which is extremely obvious, this species may at all times be readily distin. 

 guished. Its bill is black ; its iris dark hazel ; and its legs and feet grayish- 

 black or lead-coloured. There is little or no distinction in plumage between 

 tlie two sexes. 



Although commonly knoHm by the name of Canada Geese, these birds are 

 by no means confined to that country, but extend their mi;,Tations from the 

 (owest latitudes of the United States to the Iiighest parallels that have yet 

 been visited in the northern regions of America. Throughout the whole of 

 this vast extent of territory they are familiarly known as the harbingers of 

 spring when passing to the north, and the presage of approaching winter on 

 their return. In the United States it is the popular belief that their jour, 

 neys are bounded by the great chain of lakes, in the islands of which thoy 

 are supposed to breed ; but even on the shores of Hudson's Bay they are 

 still found to bo proceeding northwards, and they rarely nest further south 

 than 60 deg. Captain Phipps mentions having seen wild geese at Spitzber- 

 gen, in more tlian 80 deg. of latitude ; and Wilson deems it " highly proba- 

 ble that they extend their migrations under the very pole itself, amid the 

 silent desolation of unknown countries, shut out since the creation from the 

 prying eye of man by everlasting and insuperable bars of ice." 



The passage of the geese to the north commences with the breaking up of 

 the ice, their first appearance in Canada and on the shores of Hudson's Bay 

 varying with the forwardness of the spring, from the middle of April to the 

 latter end of May. Their flight is heavy and laborious, but moderately swift, 

 in a straight line when their number is but few, but more frequently in two 

 lines meeting in a point in front. The van is said to be always led by an 

 old gander, in whose wake the others instinctively follow. But should his 

 sagacity fail in discovering the land-marks by which they usually steer, as 

 sometimes happens in foggy weather, the whob- flock appear in the greatest 

 distress, and fly about in an irregular manner, making a groat clamour. In 

 their flights they cross indiscriminately over land or water, differing in this 

 respect from several other geese, which prefer making a circuit by water to 

 traversing the land. They also pa.ss far inland, instead of confining their 

 course to the neighbourhood of the sea. 



So important is the arrival of the geese to the inhabitants of these northern 

 regions that the month in which they first make their appearance is termed 

 by the Indians, jis we are informed by Pennant, the Goose Moon. In fact 

 not only the Indians, but the English settlers also, depend greatly upon these 

 birds for their subsistence, and many thousand.s of them are annually killed, 

 a large proportion of which are salti'd and barrelled for winter consumption. 

 Many too that are killed on their return, after the commencement of tli« 

 frost, are sufl'ered to freeze, and are thus kept as fresh provision for several 

 months. Others, either taken young or wounded, are frequently detJiineJ 

 in captivity during the winter. They seldom breed in so low a latitude as 

 Cliurchhill River ; but Ilcanie states that he has occasionally met with their 

 tggs in tluit neiglibourhoo<L Tlie females rarely lay more than four eggs. 



