GEESE AND GANDERS. 
179 
her great surprise, she found the Goose quiet 011 
her nest, hut every one of the Duck eggs picked 
out, and lying on the ground. Her mistress di- 
rected her to replace them, which was accordingly 
done; but the next morning, on going again to 
examine the nest, she found all the Duck eggs as 
before, moved off, and lying round about the nest ; 
the Goose eggs remaining under the sitting bird in 
perfect order. How long she would have persevered 
in removing them is not known, as, for fear of 
driving the Goose from her nest, the experiment was 
not repeated. 
When once attached to each other, they ap- 
pear to be very constant ; in proof of which, a 
person having marked five separate Ganders, and 
five separate Geese, with which they had paired, 
found that, for three successive years, when he 
attended to them, each regularly selected his com- 
panion of the former year, and continued faithful 
to her. Why the Goose has been so generally 
pointed out proverbially, as the most foolish of birds, 
it is difficult to say ; for the above, as well as the 
following instances, would lead us to believe, that 
they are endowed with a larger, rather than a less, 
portion of sense, than other birds. 
An old Goose, which had been for a fortnight 
hatching in a farmer s kitchen, was perceived on a 
sudden to be taken violently ill. She soon after left 
the nest, and repaired to an out-liouse, where there 
was a young Goose of the first year, which she 
brought with her into the kitchen. The young one 
immediately scrambled into the old one's nest, sat, 
hatched, and afterwards brought up the brood. The 
