president’s address. 
b53 
is locally unknown; one prevalent tale, with which the simple 
cottagers are content, being, that for some special secret 
purpose the soft doom, or down, is carefully clipped from 
their tender skins, and their gelatinous bodies boiled down 
for cement — or mock turtle soup ! 
No Goose will lay more than one clutch of eggs until three 
years old, but it is a disputed question, though one would 
have thought an easily solved one. as to whether the earliest 
or the latest hatched clutches of Goslings prove to be double 
brooded in the following year. Certain it is. that where 
Geese graze persistently year after year, a short, close sward 
results ; the coarser grasses, and such pasture pests as 
buttercups, are as entirely eradicated as Dandelions are 
eliminated by Hens, Ragwort by Sheep, and Plantains, 
Daisies, and Docks by Rabbits. 
Some conspicuous and worthless weeds, such as Eye- 
bright and Yellow Rattle, are. however, left untouched by 
Geese. Ihe paucity of Reeds on Ruston Common is 
doubtless due to the browsing of cattle. 
The influence of animals upon vegetation — the correlation 
of the Fauna and Flora of a district, is a wide and interesting 
subject. Some alien plants seem, in consequence, impossible of 
acclimatization in certain places. I have, for instance, made 
repeated though as yet futile attempts to introduce Wild Rice 
for Wild fowl, because of the Broadland Voles, and Giant Thistles 
proved as irresistible to the Marram-bank Rabbits. As to Geese 
spoiling the grazing for Cattle, which are popularly supposed 
to dislike feeding after them, I may say that I have, more 
than once, observed Cows devouring their droppings. 
Feeding on new wheat is supposed to encourage Geese to 
lay in early autumn, hence over-yeared birds should be kept 
away from stubbles and stacks at harvest time, for fear of 
their spoiling themselves for producing eggs in spring, since 
it is the earliest Goslings that fetch far and away the highest 
price. 
