Ciass If. GREY LAG GOOSE. 
cinereous slightly edged with white; the pri- 
maries grey, tipt with black, and edged with 
white; the secondaries black, grey only at their | 
base; the scapulars of a deep ash color, edged 
with white; the coverts of the tail, and the vent 
feathers, of a pure white; the middle feathers 
of the tail dusky, tipt with white, the exterior 
feathers almost wholly white ; the legs of a flesh — 
color. | 
This species resides in the fens the whole 
year; breeds there, and hatches about eight 
or nine young, which are often taken, easily 
made tame, and esteemed most excellent meat, 
superior to the domestic goose. ‘The old geese 
which are shot, are plucked and sold in the 
market as fine tame ones, and readily bought, 
the purchaser being deceived by the size, but 
their flesh is coarse. ‘Towards winter they col- 
leet in great flocks, but in all seasons live and 
feed in the fens. 
- The Grey Lag is the origin of the domestic 
goose; itis the only species that the Britons could 
take young, and familiarize ; the other two never 
breed here, and migrate during summer. - The 
mallard comes within the same description, and 
is the species to which we owe our tame’ breed 
of ducks; both preserve some of the marks of 
their wild state; the goose the whiteness of the 
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