GOOSE. 



219 



them marked the same ; the rest of the quills are pale ash colour ; 

 breast and belly fine yellowish buff ; the tail consists of twenty feathers ; 

 legs and feet red orange. 



The Goosander sometimes visits our rivers and lakes in severe win- 

 ters, but retires to the more northern latitudes of Greenland and Ice- 

 land, where it breeds. In the Orkneys and Hebrides it is found the 

 whole year round, while in the other districts it is only a winter visitant. 

 It is not uncommon on the continent of Europe and Asia, but most 

 plentiful towards the north. It is a winter inhabitant of the sea shore, 

 and fresh water lakes of America, where they usually associate in small 

 parties of six or eight. They disappear from that country in the 

 month of April, and return in November. Its food consists entirely of 

 fish, for which it dives with great celerity, and holds its slippery prey 

 with great security, by means of its toothed bill, which is admirably 

 adapted to the purpose.* 



GOOSE {Anser palustris, Fleming.) 



Lister, Phil. Trans. 15. 175. p. 1159.— Ray, Syr,. Av. p. 138.— Anas Anser 

 (ferus) Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 510. sp. g. — Anser sylvestris, Briss. 6. p. 265. 2. — 

 Oie sauvage, Buff. 9. p. 30. t. 2.— Wild Goose, Will. p. 358.— Albin, 1. p. 90. 



—Grey Lag Goose, Venn. Br. Zool. 2. p. 266.— Arct. Zool. 2. p. 473 Lath. 



Syn. 6. p. 459. 31 Lewins Br. Birds, 7. p. 238.— Ftem. Br. Anim. p. 126.— 



Common Goose, Mont. Diet. 



Provincial. — Fen Goose. Stubble Goose. 



This is the original of our common domestic Goose. It weighs eight 

 or nine pounds ; length about thirty-three inches. The bill is large, 

 and elevated, of a flesh colour, the nail white ; irides greyish ; the head 

 and neck ash-colour, mixed with rust colour ; back dusky grey ; the 

 breast and belly whitish, clouded with ash-colour ; scapulars grey, edged 

 with white ; the wing coverts are composed of different shades of cine- 

 reous ; margins of the feathers lightest, the lesser coverts darker ; quill 

 feathers more or less black at their ends ; the upper and under coverts 

 pure white ; the tail feathers dusky, tipped with white ; the outer ones 

 almost entirely white ; legs flesh coloured ; and claws black. 



These birds are said to reside in the Lincolnshire fens during the 

 whole year, where they breed, and the young are frequently taken, and 

 become tame, although the greater part of the large flocks seen with us 

 in the winter, doubtless retire northward to breed. They lay eight or 

 nine eggs of a dirty white colour, and are frequently killed on the 

 downs, in the south of England, feeding on green wheat. We remem- 

 ber one being shot in the wing, by a farmer, in the neighbourhood of 

 the Wiltshire downs, which was kept alive for many years, but would 

 never associate with the tame ones. This and most of the other species 

 are indiscriminately called wild geese. 



