THE EGYPTIAN GOOSE 175 
comparatively safe. Many, who may not see this 
bird on the river, have probably often seen it at 
home, as it is frequently kept with other water-fowl 
on the ornamental waters of our parks. It is not a 
lively bird, and seems to spend a large part of the 
day standing in a hunched-up attitude on some 
sandbank, well in the middle of the stream, from 
which position it can see the approach of any 
enemy. In captivity it is rather morose, and fierce 
with any smaller fowl it can safely bully. It lives 
on all sorts of water-insects and weeds, and makes 
excursions at night-time to the fields and cultivated 
grounds for grass and corn. 
Probably no single work of art in all Egypt has 
been more widely copied than the picture of geese 
which is now in the Museum at Cairo. It came 
from the tomb of Ne fer maat at Médim, and is 
universally known as “the oldest picture in the 
world,” for it is ascribed to the earliest dynasty, 
and approximately about 4400 B.c. To a naturalist 
it is peculiarly interesting, but the interest is 
