362 Unnatural Attachments among Animals, [ April, 
the tail depressed in the water, and soaking wet like that ofa hen 
when she is thrown into the pond. 
I never saw them eat an ounce of food ; they would sometimes 
pick a few crumbs of bread when thrown to them, but more fre- 
quently would drop them without swallowing. I never saw them 
eat grass or insects, or seek for food in the water, Indeed, what 
they live on has always been an unsatisfied question with me. 
One pair of these birds was killed by a mink two years since, 
The male of the other pair disappeared last fall, and I could gt 
no trace of him since; the goose passed a lonely winter. In the 
spring she made her way to the pig-stye and attached herself toa 
brood sow which occupied a separate pen ; she never left her new- 
found friend for more than a few minutes at a time, and has never 
been known to go to the pond since, which is about one hundred — 
yards distant. When the pigs were dropped, she seemed to take | 
a great interest in the new family. But two survived. Of thee — 
she seemed to assume the entire charge by the time they were 
two weeks old. When she thought they needed an airing, we ? 
would drive them out of the pen on to the grass plat adjoining, 
and when they laid down together for a sun bath, she would get 
on to them and spread her wings over them as if to brood them ] 
If a deer came near, she would chase it away with great resol A 
tion, and if a person approached, she would arouse her charg? 
and drive them into the stye as quickly as possible. A t 
black-and-tan terrier is allowed to follow me into the park, an 
he followed me up to the pen which adjoins the sty, ae : 
go at him like a very fury, till he soon learned to avoid th 1 
neighborhood. E’ 
When the sow was removed and the pigs and the g005° ie 
sole charge of the premises, she still continued in charge of! | 
pigs, now grown to be good sized shoats, and so does ap q 
and they obey her orders without a moment’s hesitation ; 
most commendable discipline is maintained in that family. 
I look upon this as a very remarkable case of unnatural < 
ment, and have been much interested in observing it. 
doubt it will continue till the pigs go to the shambles. ashe 
the goose do then? For the goose I can say that $0 long ê “e 
had a mate of her own species with whom she could a9% e 
never observed her to form any unnatural attachments. ofthe 
she did not seek consolation in her loneliness among saar oS 
