THE NEW HOLLAND CEREOPSIS. 323 



M. Bailly those seen by him at Preservation Island 

 evinced so httle shyness, and suffered themselves to be 

 approached so readily, that his boat's crew were enabled 

 to procure without any trouble a sufficient quantity to 

 victual them during their stay. The flesh of these 

 Geese, as they are called, is described by Bass as being- 

 excellent : D'Entrecasteaux considered it much more 

 delicate than that of the European Goose ; and Flinders 

 adds that on Preservation Island it formed the best 

 repasts of his men. Mrs. Lewin simply states that it is 

 well flavoured. 



It would seem that this bird does not often leave the 

 coast to visit the interior of the countiy, for M. Richc, 

 who was lost by his companions for more than two 

 days at Esperance Bay, never met with it in the course 

 of his wanderings in search of them. M. Bailly states 

 that on Preservation Island it takes up its abode on 

 the grassy declivities ; and Captain Flinders found it 

 on Goose Island " amongst the grass and on the shore." 

 It feeds, he says, upon grass, and rarely takes to the 

 water. Its usual weight is from seven to ten pounds. 

 According to Mr. Bass it has " a deep, hoarse, clanging, 

 and though a short yet an inflected voice ;" and to the 

 accuracy of this observation we can ourselves bear 

 testimony. 



With regard to its domesticated habits little is 

 known. Judo^ino- from Mrs. Lewin's communication to 

 Dr. Latham, it would appear that it had at one time 

 been introduced into the colony as a denizen of the 

 farm-yard, for that lady stated " that with management 

 it becomes very tame and familiar, so as to be domes- 

 ticated with our common goose." But its cultivation 

 seems now to have been entirely abandoned, for we do 

 not observe any notice of it in the numerous works 

 treating of the colony that have been pul^lished of late 



