THE CANADIAN GOOSE. 203 



naturally acquired an extensive acquaintance with the 

 manners of the animals by which he was surrounded. 

 The latter, impelled by an enthusiastic admiration of 

 nature, devoted all the energies of an active mind to 

 the study of the birds of his adopted country, not 

 merely in the cabinet or the menagerie alone, but in 

 the fields, the forest, and the wilderness ; and thus 

 accumulated such a store of information on their native 

 and unrestricted habits as could only have been ac- 

 quired by the most zealous and unwearied perseverance. 

 On such observers we rely with implicit confidence. 

 Unfortunately they are not always to be found ; and 

 we then prefer passing lightly over the history of a 

 species to the risk of misleading the reader by the 

 repetition of false or exaggerated statements, which are 

 too often the result of ignorant credulity or of an over- 

 heated imagination. 



Although commonly known by the name of Canada 

 Geese, these birds are by no means confined to that 

 country, but extend their migrations from the lowest 

 latitudes of the United States to the highest parallels 

 that have yet been visited in the northern regions of 

 America. Throughout the whole of this vast extent of 

 territory they are familiarly known, as the harbingers 

 of spring when passing to the north, and the presage 

 of approaching winter on their return. In the United 

 States it is the popular belief that their journeys are 

 bounded by the great chain of lakes, in the islands of 

 which they are supposed to breed ; but even on the 

 shores of Hudson's Bay they are still found to be pro- 

 ceeding northwards, and they rarely nest further south 

 than 60°. Captain Phipps mentions having seen Wild 

 Geese at Spitzbergen, in more than 80" of latitude ; and 

 Wilson deems it " highly probable that they extend 

 their migrations under the very pole itself, amid the 



