SPUR-WINGED GOOSE 55 



It seems probable that this fine bird will remain plentiful, both on account of its 

 ability to look after itself and because of its small food value. Where it is much 

 persecuted by man, it may undoubtedly become nocturnal in its feeding habits all 

 over its range, and so continue abundant in thickly settled localities. Just how 

 much damage the species does to agriculture it is impossible to say. Horsbrugh 

 (1912) in writing of South Africa says that these geese do an "immense amount of 

 damage, treading down the standing corn with their huge feet, and spoiling much 

 more than they eat." An informant wrote him that the birds also alight on the corn 

 when it is stacked, and completely ruin it by stripping the grain off the top sheaves. 

 In these localities they apparently already feed by night. 



Food Value. Every traveler agrees as to the coarse character of the flesh, and 

 the unpleasant flavor of the Spur-wing's meat. Such expressions as "coarse, rank, 

 fishy, and tasteless" are used in describing its culinary value. The only two ex- 

 ceptions to this verdict are from Stark and Sclater (1906), who found the young birds 

 "delicate and good," and from Horsbrugh (1912), who says that while young the 

 birds are "not bad eating," though when old they are "quite impossible." 



Behavior in Captivity. The Spur-wing is a common species in zoological 

 gardens, but I can find only two records of its ever having bred in captivity. Flower 

 (1915) reported its having twice bred in the Zoological Gardens at Cairo. Haagner 

 and Ivy (1908) saw these birds in Cape Colony living on farms in a semi-domesti- 

 cated condition, and they were informed that the birds had been reared from the eggs. 

 Presumably these eggs had been taken from the nests of wild birds. On the Zambesi 

 River it was also found in a semi-domesticated condition (Tiesler, 1905), but there 

 is no information that would lead me to suppose that the species has been truly 

 domesticated, in spite of what Rochebrune (1883-85) says about seeing it domesti- 

 cated among the negroes of Senegambia. They are very easily kept in confinement; 

 and will eat all ordinary grains and even raw meat. At times they become very 

 pugnacious, and cannot be kept together with smaller or more delicate species. 

 Heinroth (1911) in his excellent paper on the psychology of Anatidce, tells of a 

 Muscovy male which was actually "perforated" by the spurs of one of these geese, 

 and of a female Black Swan that had her back torn in tatters and her head almost 

 scalped by the same weapons. He furthermore states that sometimes certain indi- 

 viduals become dangerous even to human beings. In Cairo it was found to be per- 

 fectly safe to leave these birds out at night where, in spite of the presence of jackals 

 and wildcats, they came to no harm. Spur-wings and the larger cranes were the 

 only species which could stand such exposure (Finn, 1919). Mr. Blaauw, of Hilver- 

 sum, Holland, tells me that he kept this species only once and got rid of it on ac- 

 count of its pugnacious habits. 



