ANAS. 
ration performed even upon goslings of six 
weeks old, from winch the feathers of the 
tails were plucked ; and that numbers of 
the geese die when the season afterwards 
proves cold. But this unfeeling greedy bu- 
siness is not peculiar to one country, for 
much the same is practised in others. The 
care and attention bestowed upon the brood 
geese, while they are engaged in the busi- 
ness of incubation, in the month of April, 
is nearly the same every where: wicker- 
pens are provided for them, placed in rows, 
and tier above tier, not uncommonly under 
the same roof as their owner. Some place 
water and corn near the nests ; others drive 
them to the water twice a day, and replace 
each female upon her own nest as soon as 
she returns. This business requires the at- 
tendance of the gozzard (goose-herd) a 
X month at least, in which time the young are 
brought forth : as soon afterwards as the 
brood are able to waddle along, they are, 
together with their dams, driven to the con- 
tiguous loughs and fens or marshes, on 
whose grassy margined pools they feed and 
thrive, without requiring any further at- 
tendance until the autumn. To these marsh- 
es, which otherwise would be unoccupied, 
(except by wild birds) and be only useless, 
watery wastes, we are principally indebted 
for so great a supply of the goose ; for in 
almost every country, where lakes and 
marshes abound, the neighbouring inhabi- 
tants keep as many as suit their convenience ; 
and in this way immense numbers annually 
attain to full growth and perfection ; but in 
no part of the world are such numbers 
reared, as in the fens of Lincolnshire, where 
it is said to be no uncommon thing for a sin- 
gle person to keep a thousand old geese, 
each of which, on an average, will bring 
np seven young ones. So far those only are 
noticed which may prbperly be called the 
larger flocks, by which particular watery 
districts are peopled ; and, although their 
aggregate numbers are great, yet they form 
only a part of the large family : those of the 
farm-yard, taken separately, appear as 
small specks on a great map ; but when they 
are gathered together, and added to those 
kept by almost every cottager throughout 
the kingdom, the immense whole will ap- 
pear multiplied in a ratio almost incalcula- 
ble. A great part of those which are left 
to provide for themselves during the sum- 
mer, in the solitary distant waters, as well 
as those which enliven the village green, 
are put into the stubble fields after harvest, 
to fatten upon the scattered grain ; and some 
are penned up for this purpose, by which 
they attain to greater bulk ; and it is hardly 
necessary to observe, that they are then 
poured in weekly upon the tables of the 
luxurious citizens of every town in the king- 
dom. But these distant and divided sup- 
plies seem trifling when compared with the 
multitudes which, in the season, are driven 
in all directions into the metropolis: the 
former appear only like the scanty waterings 
of the petty streamlet ; the latter like the 
copious overflowing torrent of a large river. 
To the country market towns they are car- 
ried in bags and panniers ; to the great cen- 
tre of trade they are sent in droves of many 
thousands. To a stranger it is a most cu- 
rious spectacle to view these hissing, cack- 
ling, gabbling, but peaceful armies, with 
grave deportment, waddling along, (like 
other armies) to certain destruction. The 
drivers are each provided with a long stick, 
at one end of which a red rag is tied as a 
lash, and a hook is fixed at the other : with 
the former, of which the geese seem much 
afraid, they are excited forward ; and with 
tile latter, such as attempt to stray, are. 
caught by the neck and kept in order; or 
if lame, they are put into a hospital-cart, 
which usually follows each large drove. In 
this manner they perform their journies from 
distant parts, and are said to get forward 
at the rate of eight or ten miles in a day, 
from three in the morning till nine at 
night : those which become fatigued are fed 
with oats, and the rest with bailey. The 
tame goose lays from seven to twelve eggs, 
and sometimes more : these the careful 
housewife divides equally among her brood 
geese, when they begin to sit. Those of 
her geese which lay a second time in the 
course of the summer, are seldom, if ever, 
permitted to have a second hatching ; but 
the eggs are used 'for household purposes. 
In some countries the domestic geese require 
much less care and attendance than those of 
this country. The goose has for many ages 
been celebrated on account of its vigilance. 
The story of the saving of Rome by the alarm 
they gave, vyhen the Gauls were attempting 
the Capitol, is well known, and was proba- 
bly the first time of their watchfulness being 
recorded, and, on that account, they were 
afterwards held in the highest estimatien by 
the Roman people. It is certain, that no 
tiling can stir in the night, nor the least qr 
most distant noise be made, but the geese 
are roused, and immediately begin to hold 
their cackling converse ; and on the nearer 
approach of apprehended danger, they set 
