THE GREY LAG GOOSE. 31 



when the former gentleman and Mr. Selby visited that county and 

 ascertained that the bean goose breeds at several of the lakes. 

 But Mr. St. John, in his Tour in the same county, at a subse- 

 quent period, assures us that the grey lag goose breeds at Lochs 

 Maddie, Laighal, Urigil, &c., and arrives a month earlier for that 

 purpose than the bean goose. He states that, to make sure of the 

 species, he shot some of the old birds (vol. i. pp. 35, 139, &c.). 

 The grey lag has generally, until of late years, been considered 

 the original of the domestic goose, but this is now doubted by 

 some authors. On comparing wild and domestic birds, I have 

 been unable to perceive any difference worthy of note, except 

 the superior size of the latter, and this may, I conceive, be fairly 

 attributable to domestication. The form of their bills is similar, 

 and differs from that of the bean and white-fronted species. 

 There is considerable variety, however, in domestic geese, not only 

 as to size, but colour of the bill, legs, &c.^ 



Although numerous instances of the affection of the tame 

 goose have been recorded — in Daniel's ' Rural Sports,' Stanley's 

 'Familiar History of Birds,' &c. — one or two more may be added. 

 In November 1841, a lady of my acquaintance mentioned the 

 following circumstance which had just been witnessed by herself. 

 In the summer of 1840, a goose was brought up at the same time 

 Avith a couple of ducks at a house situated very near the sea, in 

 the vicinity of Port BaUantrae. The goose and ducks associated 

 together, and, on the latter being killed for the table, the goose 

 made known its affliction by going about screecliing most violently 

 for some days, and visiting every spot that it had been in the habit 

 of frequenting with them ; — it wholly refused food the first day 

 after their death. 



Mr. G. C. Hyndman has often heard his father mention a 

 gander which he saw at Belmont, county of Tyrone, that formed 

 an attachment to an old blind mare, a favourite charger, retired 

 like her master from the wars. Every morning the mare was 

 let out of the stable to take a drink, and the gander preceded her 



* See note ou the Grey Lag, at the conclusion of the White-fronted Goose, p. 44. 



