216 THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 



two, and even by three, inoludiug the common father, 

 no disturbance nor disputes occur, the pairing taking 

 place without any noise, and no doubt by mutual 

 choice. Besides the common father, he left two of the 

 young ganders unprovided with female companions ; 

 but the couples which had paired, kept constantly to- 

 gether, and the three single ganders did not, during 

 temporary separations of the males and females, offer 

 to approach the latter. He also remarked, that gan- 

 ders are more commonly white than the females. 



Those who breed geese, generally assign one gander 

 to four or five females. M. Parmentier recommends 

 the gander, to be selected, of a large size, of a fine 

 white, with a lively eye, and an active gait ; while the 

 breeding goose, he says, ought to be brown, ash-grey, 

 or party-colored, and to have a broad foot. The grey 

 geese are supposed to produce the finest goslings, 

 while the party-colored ones produce better feathers, 

 and are not so apt to stray from home. 



"Whatever care may be taken in selecting grey geese, 

 with white ganders, Stephanus assures us, that a black 

 sort will frequently be produced, which he says, " are 

 skant so fruitful as the other, nor so good to house ; 

 wherefore, nourish as few blacke geese as ye may, for 

 their flesh is not so good, being much dryer." And 

 again : " They are better to be all white than grey, 

 or mixte with two colors, and the blacke color is worste 

 of all, and of leaste goodnesse." 



LAYING-. 



When well fed, in a mild climate, geese will lay 

 twice or three times a year, from five to twelve eggs 

 each time, and some more, that is, when they are left 

 to their own way ; but if the eggs be carefully re- 

 moved as soon as laid, a goose may be made, by abun- 

 dant feeding, to lay from twenty to fifty eggs without 

 intermitting. They begin to lay early in the spring, 

 usually in March, and it may be known when an indi- 

 vidual is about to lay, by her carrying about straws to 



