202 



ANIMALS IN flIENAGERIES- 



those who have lived in the countries it inhabits. For- 

 tunately^ however^ the respective accounts of Wilson and 

 Richardson supply ample materials for this purpose ; 

 and these we shall now^ with very little verbal alter- 

 ation^ lay before the reader. The narrative will be still 

 further interesting, as the species has long been domes- 

 ticated in this country, and may be seen in many private 

 poultry-yards, and in almost every menagerie. 



The regular periodical migrations of the Canadian 

 goose to and from the arctic regions are the sure signals, 

 as Wilson observes, of returning spring, or of approach- 

 ing winter. The tracts of their vast journeys are not 

 confined to the sea coast, or its vicinity. In their aerial 

 voyages to and from the North, these winged pilgrims 

 pass over the interior on both sides of the moun tains, so 

 far west, that Wilson never visited any quarter of the 

 country where he did not hear of them. The general 

 opinion of the common people of the States is, that the 

 geese, when flying northward, are going to the Canadian 

 lakes to breed ; but the people of that province are 

 equally ignorant on this subject ; and it was only until 

 the more recent researches of Dr. Richardson, which 

 will be subsequently detailed, that the supposition enter- 

 tained by Wilson, of these birds extending their mi- 

 grations " under the very pole itself," was proved to be 

 erroneous. Hearne asserts that he saw them in large 

 flocks within the arctic circle, still pursuing their way 

 further north. But whether it was really this species. 



