﻿ORANGE-LEGGED BEAN GOOSE. 19 



of the alien flock, as if they only took advantage of the 

 current of air, in order to facilitate their progress. 



The sounds uttered by the Orange-legged Bean Goose 

 differ so little from those of the foregoing species, that it 

 requires great experience to distinguish between them. 



When the present species is caught and pinioned, it soon 

 becomes tame ; this is not only the case with young birds, 

 but also with birds at an adult, and even old age, that have 

 been slightly wounded and disabled from making their escape. 

 The fact that this species soon associates with our tame geese 

 in the farmyard, feeds in company with them, and roosts at 

 night in the barn or other place provided for that purpose, is 

 very well established ; and in this it equally differs from the 

 pink-legged and the grey lag wild goose, as neither of these 

 can be brought to do so. This goose attains a great age, 

 both in a state of nature, and in confinement or forced 

 domestication. 



The food of the bird here described consists of ripe and 

 unripe grain, grasses, clover, cabbage-leaves, turnips and 

 aquatic plants, of which it consumes not only the leaves, but 

 also the roots, and it seems not to be important whether 

 these grow in sweet or brackish water. Of grain, they prefer 

 oats and the young shoots of corn, or rye, in the search of 

 which they go miles distant ; this is done during the whole 

 day, retiring in the evening to their watery haunts, for the 

 purpose of drinking and roosting, the latter of which they 

 very rarely do in the fields. 



When the snow covers the ground this species resorts to 

 localities where certain spots have remained uncovered, and 

 where a scanty meal may yet be found : and in the spring 

 of the year, until their departure, the new seed on the 

 ground, and the roots of aquatic herbage and sedges make up 

 a sufficiency that supplies their wants ; this accounts in some 



