HONOUR TO THE QUILL-BEARERS. 
201 
reddish yellow bill, orange feet ; the upper parts of the 
head and neck are brown ; the lower parts of the neck, 
sides of the breast and back, are black ; the wings being 
glossed with brilliant metallic green ; the under parts are 
white. 
The single British specimen above alluded to had a 
narrow escape of utter destruction. *When killed,' says 
Mr. Mewburn, of St. Germains, in Cornwall, who sent the 
skin to Mr. Bewick, * it was in a most perfect state, having 
only one shot in the head. Some gentleman who saw it on 
the following day requested him (the shooter) to let me 
have it, which he promised ; but, though he knew I was a 
bird stufFer, he had a wife (unhappy man !) who, from 
some strange infatuation, thought she could stuff it (pre- 
sumptuous woman!); but being very soon convinced of 
her inability, she cut off the wings for dusters (hor- 
rible sacrilege !) and threw the skin away (worse and 
worse!); and it was not till three weeks afterwards that 
I heard of the circumstance, when I sent a servant, who 
brought it covered with mud, the head torn off, but luckily 
preserved, as also one wing, when I had it washed, and put 
together as well as I was able.' 
And this brings us to the end of our catalogue of Geese, 
about which, on their historical, poetical, and some other 
respects, it behoves us now to say a few words, before dis- 
missing the subject. 
Quill-bearing geese, a blessing on your fens, 
Rearing unconscious, earth's best harvest, pens ; 
Ceres but noimshes man's grosser part, 
Ye raise the genius, and improve the heart. 
These lines of glorification to the quill-bearing fraternity 
had greater force and appropriateness when they were 
written, perhaps half a century ago, than they have now, for 
the steel pen has very much superseded that made from 
the * grey goose quill,' although the latter is still to some 
extent employed in writing. Southey, in that curious 
melange of wit, and wisdom, and quaint morality, ' The 
Doctor,' says : — ^ Of all the birds in the air, and all the 
beasts in the field, and all the fishes in the sea, and all the 
