142 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



upon the wing it utters a loud peculiar cry. According to Blyth it walks badly, and after making a 

 few steps regularly squats down ; hence it is possible, or rather probable, that in a wild state it 

 seldom comes upon dry land. So long as it has not suffered persecution it is extremely tame and 

 trustful It makes its nest in the cavity of some old hollow tree, or occasionally in ruins or old 

 walls, sometimes at a distance from the water. The small eggs, which are eight, ten, or more 

 in number, have a white shell. The young are at first clad in a coat of thick grey down, and almost 

 immediately after their birth they are literally cast out of the nest by their parents, who at once 

 conduct them to the nearest pond. We are told by one observer that only the female broods, while 

 the Gander amuses himself in the society of others of his own sex. Jerdon, however, doubts this 

 statement, or at least that such is always the case, basing his scruples upon the fact that in more 

 than one instance he has seen both male and female fly together from the tree in which their nest was 

 situated. The flesh of these Geese is not much esteemed; nevertheless it is said that at certain 

 seasons it is tolerably good. 



THE CEREOPSIS GOOSE. 



The Cereopsis Goose {Cereopsis Novce-Hollandice) is recognisable by its powerful body, thick 

 short neck, small head, and short strong beak, which is high at the base, and covered with a cere 

 almost to the blunt and hooked extremity. The webbed feet have long tarsi, short toes, and large 

 powerful claws. In the broad wings the shoulder-quills are well developed. The tail is short and 

 rounded ; the thick plumage is of a beautiful dark grey, shaded with brown. The crown of the head 

 is somewhat lighter, and the back decorated with round, blackish brown spots, situated at the tips 

 of some of the feathers. The lower halves of the secondary quills and tail-feathers are also brownish 

 black. The eye is scarlet, the beak black, the cere greenish yellow, and the foot blackish. The 

 female resembles her mate in the coloration of her plumage, but is recognisable by her inferior size. 

 The Cereopsis Goose, the only member of the family to which it belongs, is one of those extraordinary 

 birds that at once arrest the attention of the traveller. Not many years ago the localities where it was 

 the most numerous appear to have been the islands in Bass's Straits. 



Labillardiere relates that the first specimens he obtained were captured by the sailors with their 

 hands ; and Flinders tells us that one of his boat's crew killed a great number with short sticks, and 

 took several alive. Bailly not only confirmed these accounts, but states that those he saw could be 

 easily run in upon and captured without trouble. All the above navigators speak of the flesh as being 

 excellent, much better, indeed, than that of European Geese, and seem to have prosecuted the chase 

 with considerable ardour. As a necessary consequence, later visitors found not only that the bird was 

 no longer plentiful, but that from many of these islands it had been completely extirpated. Gould, 

 who shot a pair on Isabella Island, nevertheless thinks that several of them may yet exist upon 

 unvisited parts of the southern coast of Australia. " An old Bushman," however, remarks that on the 

 Australian continent he only saw them twice — in one case there was a small flock, and in the other 

 only two birds, which were in company with some other Geese. The Cereopsis, or " Hen " Goose, as 

 it is called, lives, as might be expected from such an appellation, much more on dry land than on 

 the water. It walks well, and swims badly ; indeed, judging from individuals kept in our Zoological 

 Gardens, it seldom enters the water of its own free will. Its flight, likewise, is performed with 

 difficulty, and is remarkably heavy. Its voice is a dull buzzing sound, very unlike the cry of a Goose. 

 We have but scanty information respecting the habits of these birds in their wild state ; but from their 

 behaviour in captivity it is easy to form an idea of their usual mode of life. In its aversion to water 

 the Cereopsis differs from all other Geese. Except when driven into a pond, it spends its whole time 

 on land, devoting the morning and evening to the procuration of food, but reposing during the heat 

 of the day and throughout the night. It is seldom seen in company with other species ; indeed, its 



