292 THE WILD GOOSE. 



mark as possible to the fowler or sportsman; and 

 from the great height to which they rise, and the 

 distances they maintain from each other, it is diffi- 

 cult, nay, almost impossible, to hit more than one at 

 a time. The goose is remarkable for its fecundity, 

 even in a wild state. The female hatches her eggs 

 with great solicitude, and the male bird often drives 

 her off, to take her place with a more noisy dignity. 

 The wild goose seldom lays above eight eggs. It is 

 known to live to a great age. Of the small brent 

 goose Colonel Hawker remarks, that our late king, 

 William the Fourth, esteemed it beyond other wild 

 fowl. Of the Egyptian goose he thus relates : 

 " Two of these birds appeared, some years ago, in 

 Norfolk; one of which was killed by John Ponton, 

 Esq., and the other by his keeper. Three Egyptian 

 geese were, for some days, in the winter of 1823, 

 in the fields of Longparish ; and after being fired at 

 about ten times, the old gander was killed by one of 

 the labourers. I was informed that they were at 

 first so easy of access, that I then concluded they 

 must have taken flight from some gentleman's pond. 

 The next year again, during the tremendous gales 

 from the west, a flock of about eighty appeared near 

 the same place : and two more were killed and sent 

 me by the same man. I have, therefore, no doubt 

 of their importation, instead of emigration, to this 

 country. I suppose these birds were, till of late 

 years, very scarce, as Mr. Bewick has no specimen 

 of them." The laughing geese (Anas albifrons) have 



