172 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
freeholders could possess them, and to touch their 
eggs was punished by imprisonment. They are 
now rare. 
THE GOOSE. 
202. Wild Geese are seen migrating north and 
south, over the United States, in the seasons of 
spring and fall. During the day they never rest, 
and are seen flying at a great height, in flocks of 
from fifty to a hundred. 
203. The Tame Goose, which is so abundant m 
our farm-yards, is nothing more than the Wild 
Goose domesticated. Geese are a source of profit, 
and are bred for the sake of their quills and feathers. 
204. The quills are plucked once a year, the 
feathers four or five times. The old Geese suffer 
this to be done quietly, but the young ones are very 
noisy and unruly. 
What is said of Wild Geese? What are Tame Geese valued 
for ? 
