The True Geese. 45 



When once started, they fly well, but they 

 are slow in taking wing, either from land 

 or water. They run along the ground 

 several paces before they can rise, and, 

 if on the water, they beat the surface with 

 their wings, at the same time cackling 

 and stretching out their necks. They 

 swim with great ease, but they do not 

 dive much, unless wounded. On migra- 

 tion, they fly at a great height, and the 

 flock forms itself into two oblique lines 

 meeting at an angle in front. 



Regarding the cries of the Grey Lag- 

 Goose, the late Mr. Seebohm wrote : 

 "The note of the Grey Goose closely 

 resembles that of its congeners ; it is not 

 so musical as the trumpeting of the Swan, 

 nor quite so harsh as the quack of the 

 Duck. It is impossible to represent it 

 exactly on paper : one of its notes, sup- 

 posed to be associated with love and war, 

 is a loud trumpet-like sound ; but as one 

 bird calls to another on migration, or on 

 their feeding-grounds, it sounds something 

 like gag, gag. When the goose and the 

 gander are chattering together, it is lower 

 and softer, and might be represented as 

 tat) tat^ tat ; but when a flock of Geese 

 is suddenly surprised it becomes an 

 alarm-note loud, shrill, harsh, long-drawn- 



