108 



THE CANADA GOOSE. 



in America, some hungry quadruped, or noc- 

 turnal plunderer in the shape of man, thinned 

 down their number to a solitary goose ; and at 

 last, this remaining favourite fell a prey to the 

 fox, ere all entrance into my park had been 

 effectually debarred to that wily villain by the 

 interposition of a wall, from nine to ten feet in 

 height. 



No more Canada geese were seen at this place 

 for many years, until one day, when Mr. Ord, 

 of Philadelphia, the elegant biographer of poor 

 Wilson the ornithologist, observed a pair of 

 them to alight on a distant part of the lake. 

 I shall never forget with what joy and enthu- 

 siasm this worthy friend announced to me his 

 important discovery of the long-looked-for 

 strangers. But they only tarried for a day or 

 two, and then they went away, and returned no, 

 more. 



In the winter of the following year, I was 

 agreeably surprised one morning by seeing a 

 flock of four-and-twenty Canada geese on the 

 water. Having never heard that so large a 

 number had been observed on any of the waters 

 in this neighbourhood, I concluded that these 

 birds must have come from a distance. Be this 



