THE CANADA GOOSE. 185 



instant, I thought was broken. I observed that immediately after such an 

 effort to defend his nest and mate, he would run swiftly towards them, pass 

 his head and neck several times over and around the female, and again 

 assume his attitude of defiance. 



Always intent on making experiments, I thought of endeavouring to con- 

 ciliate this bold son of the waters. For this purpose I always afterwards 

 took with me several ears of corn, which I shelled, and threw towards him. 

 It remained untouched for several days; but I succeeded at last, and before 

 the end of a week both birds fed freely on the grain even in my sight! I 

 felt much pleasure on this occasion, and repeating my visit daily, found, that 

 before the eggs were hatched, they would allow me to approach within a few 

 feet of them, although they never suffered me to touch tbem. Whenever I 

 attempted this the male met my fingers with his bill, and bit me so severely 

 that I gave it up. The great beauty and courage of the male rendered me 

 desirous of obtaining possession of him. I had marked the time at which 

 the young were likely to appear, and on the preceding day I baited with 

 corn a large coop made of twine, and waited until he should enter. He 

 walked in, I drew the string, and he was my prisoner. The next morning 

 the female was about to lead her offspring to the river, which was distant 

 nearly half a mile, when I caught the whole of the young birds, and with 

 them the mother too, who came within reach in attempting to rescue one of 

 her brood, and had them taken home. There I took a cruel method of pre- 

 venting their escape, for with a knife I pinioned each of them on the same side, 

 and turned them loose in my garden, where I had a small but convenient 

 artificial pond. For more than a fortnight, both the old birds appeared 

 completely cowed. Indeed, for some days I felt apprehensive that they 

 would abandon the care of the young ones. However, with much attention, 

 I succeeded in rearing the latter by feeding them abundantly with the larvas 

 of locusts, which they ate greedily, as well as with corn-meal moistened 

 with water, and the whole flock, consisting of eleven individuals, went on 

 prosperously. In December the weather became intensely cold, and I 

 observed that now and then the gander would spread his wings, and sound a 

 loud note, to which the female first, and then all the young ones in succes- 

 sion, would respond, when they would all run as far as the ground allowed 

 them in a southerly direction, and attempt to fly off. I kept the whole flock 

 three years. The old pair never bred while in my possession, but two pairs 

 of the young ones did, one of them raising three, the other seven. They 

 all bore a special enmity to dogs, and shewed dislike to cats; but they mani- 

 fested a still greater animosity towards an old Swan and a Wild Turkey-cock 

 which I had. I found them useful in clearing the garden of slugs and snails; 

 and although they now and then nipped the vegetables, I liked their com- 



Vol. VI. 25 



