570 CANADA GOOSE. 
CANADA GOOSE.— ANAS CANADENSIS. — Fic. 271. 
L’Oye savage de Canada, Briss. vi. p. 272, 4. pl. 26. — L’Oie 4 cravatte, Buff. ix. 
p, 82.— ees 151.— Aret Zool. No. 471.— Catesby, i. pl. 92.— Lath. Syn. 
lil. p. 450. — Peale’s Museu, No. 2704. 
ANSER CANADENSIS. — Vix.0t.* 
Bemicla Canadensis, Boie. — Anser Canadensis, Bonap. Synop. p. 377.— North. 
Zool. ii. p. 468.—L. Outarde, French Canadians. — Bustard, Hudson’s Bay 
Settlers. ~ 
Tuis is the Common Wild Goose of the United States, universally 
known over the whole country ; whose regular periodical migrations 
are the sure signals of returning spring, or approaching winter. The 
tracts of their vast migratory journeys are not confined to the sea-coast 
or its vicinity. In their aérial voyages to and from the north, these 
winged pilgrims pass over the interior, on both sides of the mountains, 
as far west, at least, as the Osage River; and I have never yet visited 
any quarter of the country where the inhabitants are not familiarly ac- 
quainted with the regular passing and repassing of the Wild Geese. 
The general opinion here is, that they are on their way to the lakes to 
breed; but the inhabitants on the confines of the great lakes that sep- 
arate us from Canada, are equally ignorant with ourselves of the par- 
ticular breeding places of those birds. There, their journey north is 
but commencing ; and how far it extends it is impossible for us, at 
present, to ascertain, from our littleacquaintance with these frozen re- 
gions. They were seen by Hearne, in large flocks, within the arctic 
circle, and were then pursuing their way still farther north. Captain 
Phipps speaks of seeing Wild Geese feeding at the water’s edge on 
the dreary coast of Spitzbergen, in lat. 80°27’. It is highly probable 
that they extend their migrations under the very pole itself, amid the 
silent desolation of unknown countries, shut out. since creation from: 
the prying eye of man’by everlasting and insuverable barriers of ice. 
* The appellation “Geese” will mark, in a pencil way, the birds and form to 
which Anser should be generically applied. They are all of large size, possess in 
part the gait of a gallinaceous bird, are gregarious, except during the breeding sea- 
son, mostly migratory, and are formed more for extensive flight than for the life of 
a truly aquatic feeding and diving bird. Most of them, during winter, at times, 
leave the sea or lakes, and feed on the pastures, or, when to be had, on the newly- 
sprung grains, while some feed entirely on aquatic plants and animals. The Cana- 
da Goose is easily domesticated, and. it is probable that most of the specimens 
killed in Great Britain have escaped from preserves ; it is found, however, on the 
Continent of Europe, and stragglers may occasionally occur. E 
On the beautiful piece of water at Gosford House, the seat of the Earl of Wemyss, 
Haddingtonshire, this and many other water birds rear their young freely. I have 
never seen any artificial piece of water so beautifully ada ned for aie domestication 
and introduction of every kind of water fowl which will bear the climate of Great 
Britain. Of very large extent, it is embossed in beautiful shrubbery, perfectly 
recluse, and, even im the nearly constant observance of a resident family, several 
exotic species seem to look on it as their own. The Canada and Egyptian Geese 
both had young when. I visited it, and the lovely Anus (Dendronessa) sponsa 
seemed as healthy as if in her native waters. — Ep. 
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