256 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



THE WHITE CHINESE GOOSE. 



fancier of poultry, as well as all kinds of blood- 

 ed stock, from the noble high-bred horse to a 

 Bantam cock. It was brought into notice a few 

 years ago in England by Mr. Alfred Whitikar, 

 who speaks of it in the following words : " The 

 White China goose is of a spotless, pure white, 

 more swan-like than the brown variety, with a 

 bright orange-colored bill, and a large orange- 

 colored knob at its base. It is a particularly 

 beautiful bird, either in or out of the water, its 

 neck being long, slender, and gracefully arched 

 when swimming. It breeds three or four times 

 in a season, and its period of incubation extends 

 to five weeks. They are prolific layers, but their 

 eggs are small for the size of the bird, being not 

 more than half the size of those of the common 

 goose. The spring goslings are easily reared, 

 and are a fair average quality for the table. 

 The disparity in size between the sexes is con- 

 siderable, often amounting to over one-third of 

 their relative weights. 



"Its color, as its name indicates, is a pure, 



spotless white, which, contrasted with its yellow 

 or orange-colored bill and legs, gives quite a 

 pleasing effect, and it certainly deserves to rank 

 in the first class of ornamental poultry." 



These geese, it is stated, formerly existed in 

 the aviaries of the London Zoological Society, 

 and were there considered in the light of a va- 

 riety of the Anser cygnoides; but the head- 

 keeper of that establishment speaks most de- 

 cidedly of his experience of the permanence, 

 not only of this variety, but also of that of 

 the dark-legged sorts of the brown kind, thus 

 indicating three races ; which, I repeat, would 

 be considered as species, were they now discov- 

 ered for the first time. 



Mr. Dixon, in speaking of these birds, says : 

 " They are larger than the brown Chinese geese, 

 apparently more terrestrial in their habits ; the 

 knob on the head is not only of greater propor- 

 tions, but of a different shape. If they were 

 only what is commonly meant by a variety of 

 the dark sort, it is a question whether the bill 



