BRITISH BIRDS. 239 



and females are of an orange red. By studied 

 attention in the breeding, two sorts of these Geese 

 have been obtained: the less are by many esteemed 

 as being more delicate eating; the larger are by 

 others preferred on account of the bountiful appear- 

 ance they make upon the festive board. The 

 weight of the latter kind is generally between nine 

 and fifteen pounds; but instances are not wanting, 

 where they have been fed to upwards of twenty 

 pounds: this is, however, to sacrifice the flavour of 

 the food to the size and appearance of the bird; for 

 they become disgustingly fat and surfeiting, and 

 the methods used to cram them up are unnatural 

 and cruel. It is not, however, altogether on ac- 

 count of their use as food that they are valuable; 

 their feathers, their down, and their quills,* have 

 long been considered as articles of more import- 

 ance, and from which their owners reap more 

 advantages. In this respect the poor creatures 

 have not been spared : urged by avarice, their 

 inhuman masters appear to have ascertained the 

 exact quantity of plumage of which they can bear 

 to be robbed, without being deprived of life. 



Pennant, in describing the methods used in Lin- 

 colnshire, in breeding, rearing, and plucking Geese, 

 says, "they are plucked five times in the year: first 



" An English archer bent his bow, 



" Made of a trusty tree, 

 " An arrow of a. cloth yard long, 



'' Unto the head drew he: 



"Against Sir Hugh Montgomery 



" So right his shaft he set, 

 '' The grey Goose wing that was thereon 



" In his heart's blood was wet." 



Chevy Chace. 



