44-S GOOSE. Clafs II. 



for they cut the air the readier in that form than if 

 they flew pelmell. Befides this fpecies, Doclor Lifter * 

 mentions three others : ift. the marjh-goofe, or grey leg; 

 which appears to be no other than our wild goofe. 

 2d. the Small fpanijb goofe, which in color refembles 

 the common goofe, but is no larger than the brent 

 goofe. 3d. the great black goofe, or whilk. 



Great numbers of tame geefe are kept in the fens 

 in Lincclnjhire, and are plucked about the neck, 

 breafl and back, once if not twice a year, the feathers 

 are a confiderable article of commerce, but thofe from 

 the Somerfetjhire geefe are molt efteemed by the trade $ 

 as thofe from Ireland are reckoned the worft. 



It will not here be foreign to the fubject to give fome 

 account of the feathers that other birds and other coun- 

 tries fupply our Ifland with, which was communicated 

 to us by an intelligent perfon in the feather trade. 



Eider down is imported from Denmark, the ducks 

 that fupply it being inhabitants of ' Hudfon x s-bay, Green- 

 land, Iceland and Norway -, our own iflands weft of 

 Scotland breed numbers of thefe birds, and might turn 

 out a profitable branch of trade to the poor inhabi- 

 tants. Hudfon's-bay alfo furnifhes a very fine feather 

 fuppofed to be of the goofe kind. 



The down of the fwan is brought from Dantzick. 

 The fame place alfo fends us great quantity of the 

 feathers of the cock and hen. The London poulterers 

 fell a great quantity of the feathers of thofe birds, and 

 of ducks and turkies ; thofe of ducks being a weaker 



* Raiijyn. a<v. l$S. 



feather 



