WATER FOWL 261 



|>f epared not only makes the best-looking carcass 

 but is superior to other breeds for marketing. One 

 of the chief disadvantages in purchasing specimens 

 is that there are many poor flocks in this country, 

 poor not only in breeding, but poor in ability to 

 lay. Intending purchasers should be careful in 

 buying for these reasons. 



Chinese geese are of two varieties — Brown and 

 White. Their form and carriage is diiTerent from 

 that of the two breeds already mentioned. They 

 stand much more erect, have much longer and 

 slenderer necks. In the Brown Chinese, at the base 

 of the bill is a peculiar dark-colored knob, as will 

 be seen in the half-tone picture of the breed. The 

 standard weights are 14 pounds for the adult gander 

 and 12 for the geese. The Brown variety is con- 

 sidered the most prolific of all geese. Under or- 

 dinary management the females will lay 40 to 50 

 eggs or even more, and these eggs are noted for 

 their fertility. One of the chief disadvantages is 

 that the carcasses are exceedingly hard to pluck 

 and, when dressed, make the poorest appearance of 

 all kinds of geese. In the White Chinese the 

 plumage is white throughout, the bill and legs are 

 orange colored and so is the knob at the base of the 

 bill. While the geese lay as well as their brown 

 cousins, their eggs are less fertile. White Chinese 

 geese rival the Embden geese in the market. Their 

 carcasses make a far better appearance than those 

 of the Brown. 



African geese are not nearly as common as other 

 large varieties. Their color is gray, dark above, 

 light below. On the back of the neck there is a 

 dark stripe. Their weights are the same as for 

 Embden and Toulouse. The bill is black and has 



