572 CANADA GOOSE. 
usually called sea cabbage; and also the roots of the sedge, which 
they are frequently observed.in the act of tearing up. Every few 
days, they make an excursion to the inlets on the beach for gravel. 
They cross, indiscriminately, over land or water, generally taking the 
nearest course to their object; differing, in this respect, from’ the 
Brant, which will often go a great way round by water, rather than 
cross over the land. They swim well; and, if wing-broken, dive, and 
go a long way under water, causing the sportsman a great deal of fa- 
tigue before he can kill them. Except in very calm weather, they 
rarely sleep on the water, but roost all,night in the marshes. When 
the shallow bays are frozen, they seek the mouths of inlets near the 
sea, occasionally visiting the air-holes in the ice; but these bays are 
seldom so completely frozen as to prevent them from feeding on the 
bars. ie 
The flight of the Wild Geese is heavy and laborious, generally in 
a straight line, or in two lines approximating to a point, thus, > ; in 
both cases, the van is led by an old gander, who, every now and then, 
pipes his well-known honk, as if to ask how they come on, and the 
honk of “ All’s well” is generally returned by some of the party. Their 
course is in a straight line, with the exception of the undulations of 
their flight. When bewildered in foggy weather, they appear some- 
times to be in great distress, flying about in an irregular manner, and 
for a considerable time over the same quarter, making a great clamor. 
On these occasions, should they approach the earth and alight, which 
they sometimes do, to rest and recollect themselves, the only hospitality 
they meet with is death and destruction from a whole neighborhood 
already in arms for their ruin. 
Wounded Geese have, in numerous instances, been completely do- 
mesticated, and readily pair ‘with the tame Gray Geese. . The off- 
spring are said to be larger than either; but the characteristic marks 
of the Wild Goose still predominate. The gunners on the sea-shore 
have long been in the practice of taming the wounded of both sexes, 
and have sometimes succeeded in getting them to pair and produce. 
The female always seeks out the most solitary place for her nest, not 
far from the water. On the approach of every.spring, however, these 
birds discover symptoms of great uneasiness, frequently looking up 
into the air, and attempting to go off. Some, whose wings have been 
closely cut, have travelled on foot in a northern direction, and have 
been found at the distance of several miles from home. They hail 
every flock that passes overhead, and the salute is sure to be returned 
by the voyagers, who are only prevented from alighting among them 
by the presence and habitations of man. The gunners take one or 
two of these domesticated Geese with them to those parts of ithe 
marshes over which the wild ones are accustomed to fly; and, con- 
cealing themselves within gunshot, wait for a flight, which is no sooner 
-perceived by the decoy Geese, than they begin calling aloud, until 
the whole flock approaches so near as to give them an opportunity of 
discharging two, and sometimes three, loaded muskets dmong iit, by 
which great havock is made. 
‘The Wild Goose, when in good order, weighs from ten to twelve, 
and sometimes fourteen pounds. They are sold in the Philadelphia 
markets at from seventy-five cents to one dollar each; and are esti- 
