178 
THE CANADA GANDER. 
session of tlie kennel ; and a new house-dog haying 
been introduced, which in size and colour resembled 
that lately lost, the poor Goose was unhappily 
deceived ; and going, as usual, within his reach, the 
new dog seized her by the throat, and killed her on 
the spot. 
The Canada Geese appear to he peculiarly sus- 
ceptible birds, and will, sometimes, make up by 
imagination or fancy what is deficient in reality. 
Tims, a Canada Gander in a nobleman s park, near 
Windsor, having no mate, has, for two Springs, 
regularly mounted guard opposite a drawbridge, 
in front of a thicket, where it is clear he imagines 
there is a nest, and defends the approaches very 
courageously, continuing this ideal defence till the 
first brood of ducklings appears from some other 
quarter, which he immediately takes under his 
protection ; and last year he thus actually chaperoned 
twenty-five. It should be added, that there is no 
nest of any kind whatever within the precincts 
which he so strenuously guards. 
But if, in this case, we may smile at the old 
Gander s fancy and credulity, in believing eggs to 
be hatching where none were laid, we can quote an- 
other, showing that a Goose is occasionally possessed 
of a keen sense, enabling her to detect imposition, 
and distinguish her own eggs from others closely 
resembling them. A Goose, belonging to a clergy- 
man in Cheshire, was set (as it is termed,) on six 
or eight eggs. The dairy -maid thinking these too 
few, for so large a bird to cover, added an equal 
number of Duck eggs. The next morning she 
went as usual to see if all was right, when, to 
