REMINISCENCES FROM THE MELBOURNE ZOO. 
125 
he evidently thought the right moment had come to introduce some variety 
into their monotonous lives, for after an animated conference with his 
wife, he set out to show himself worthy of her admiration. The first 
kangaroo that got a sharp bite from the insignificant-looking little 
creature made a record spring towards heaven. Mr. Goose bit the next 
one with a like result, so he saw he was going to have the time of his 
life, and rushed back with wings outstretched to tell his wife about it. 
They stood with the tips of their wings meeting, their heads craned 
upwards, and shrieked in chorus of their triumph. He had a shrill tenor 
voice, and she a basso-profundo, quite opposite to what might naturally 
be expected. There they stood, fluttering their wings while they chanted 
their delight, and then he sped off again, refreshed, for more fight. With 
wings still outstretched, and head lowered threateningly, he let himself 
loose. The eight or nine terrified kangaroos began a race for life around 
their paddock, but he, like his brother in the ostrich run, was not going 
to needlessly waste his strength in running over miles of country when 
short cuts were best, so he darted from one flying creature to another, 
literally catching them on the hop, and doing immense damage to their 
nervous systems. Again and again the conquering hero rushed back to his 
wife to tell her of his cleverness, and, perhaps, to get encouragement for 
still doughtier deeds. Indeed, he might have been like Antaeus, the mytho- 
logical hero who had to touch his mother Earth at stated intervals to 
remain invincible and renew his strength, and who was finally killed when 
Hercules discovered that his strength ebbed while he was kept from it. 
After each meeting with his mate he seemed really to renew his energy, 
and at last he had the great satisfaction of seeing every kangaroo in the 
compound jump the high dividing fences and drop, exhausted, on the 
other side. The keepers ran the rascal down, and got both husband and 
wife out of the place. Once again a special home was reserved for the 
sole use of this interesting bird, but he did not forget his triumph. 
Whenever he could manage to steal out — and he had a genius for getting 
out of tight places, although, being pinioned, he could not fly even the 
lowest fence — he would wickedly strut up and down before the kangaroos 
as if on patrol duty, with wings outspread and cackling loudly, trying 
to terrify the beaten marsupials. They, however, knew the difference 
between a Cape Barren goose on the side-walk and a Cape Barren goose 
in their enclosure, and so they loftily ignored their unsportsmanlike tor- 
mentor. Although he could not again get in with them, he once found 
his way into the home of the great Barrasingha deer, and even though 
the buck had his horns in the pink of condition, he did not dare to tackle 
this intrepid little goose. 
