years in succession to a large pond a few miles from the mouth of
Green River in Kentucky, and whenever I visited the nest, it seemed to
look upon me with utter contempt. It would stand in a stately attitude,
until I reached within a few yards of the nest, when suddenly lowering
its head, and shaking it as if it were dislocated from the neck, it would
open its wings, and launch into the air, flying directly at me. So daring
was this fine fellow, that in two instances he struck me a blow with one
of his wings on the right arm, which, for an instant, I thought, was
broken. I observed that immediately after such an effort to defend his
nest and mate, he would run swiftly towards them, pass his head and neck
-several times over and around the female, and again assume his attitude
of defiance.
Always intent on making experiments, I thought of endeavouring to •
conciliate this bold son of the waters. For this purpose I always afterwards
took with me several ears of corn, which I shelled, and threw towards
him. It remained untouched for several days ; but I succeeded at last,
and before the end of a week both birds fed freely on the grain even
in my sight I T felt much pleasure on this occasion, and repeating my
visit daily, found, that before the eggs were hatched, they would allow
me to approach within a few feet of them, although they never suffered
me to touch them. Whenever I attempted this the male met my fingers
with his bill, and bit me so severely that I gave it up. The great
beauty and courage of the male rendered me desirous of obtaining possession
of him. I had marked the time at which the young were likely
to appear, and on the preceding day I baited with corn a large coop
made of twine, and waited until he should enter. He walked in, I
drew the string, and he was my prisoner. The next morning the female
was about to lead her offspring to the river, which was distant nearly half
a mile, when I caught the whole of the young birds, and with them the
mother too, who came within reach in attempting to rescue one of her
brood, and had them taken home. There I took a cruel method of preventing
their escape, for with a knife I pinioned each of them on the
same side, and turned them loose in my garden, where I had a small but
convenient artificial pond. For more than a fortnight, both the old birds
appeared completely cowed. Indeed, for some days I felt apprehensive
that they would abandon the care of the young ones. However, with
much attention, I succeeded in rearing the latter by feeding them abundantly
with the larvae of locusts, which they ate greedily, as well as with
com-meal moistened with water, and the whole flock, consisting of eleven
individuals, went on prosperously. In December the weather became intensely
cold, and I observed that now and then the gander would spread
his wings, and sound a loud note, to which the female first, and then all
the young ones in succession, would respond, when they would all run
as far as the ground allowed them in a southerly direction, and attempt
to fly off. I kept the whole flock three years. The old pair never
bred while in my possession, but two pairs of the young ones did, one
of them raising three, the other seven. They all bore a special enmity
to dogs, and shewed dislike to cats; but they manifested a still greater
animosity towards an old swan and a wild turkey-cock which I had. I
found them useful in clearing the garden of slugs and snails; and although
they now and then nipped the vegetables, I liked their company.
When I left Henderson, my flock of geese was given away, and I have
not since heard how it has fared with them.
On one of my shooting excursions in the same neighbourhood, I chanced
one day to kill a wild Canada Goose, which, on my return, was sent
to the kitchen. The cook, while dressing it, found in it an egg ready
for being laid, and brought it to me. It was placed under a common
hen, and in due time hatched. Two years afterwards the bird thus raised,
mated with a male of the same species, and produced a brood. This
goose was so,gentle that she would suffer any person to caress her, and
would readily feed from the hand. She was smaller than usual, but in
every other respect as perfect as any I have ever seen. At the period of
migration she shewed by her movements less desire to fly off than any
other I have known; but her mate, who had once been free, did not participate
in this apathy.
I have not been able to discover why many of those birds which I have
known to have been reared from the egg, or to have been found when very
young and brought up in captivity, were so averse to reproduce, unless
they were naturally sterile. I have seen several that had been kept for more
than eight years, without ever mating during that period, while other individuals
had young the second spring after their birth. I have also observed
that an impatient male would sometimes abandon the females of his species,
and pay his addresses to a common tame goose, by which a brood would
m due time be brought up, and would thrive. That this tardiness is not
the case in the wild state I feel pretty confident, for I have observed having
broods of their own many individuals which, by their size, the dulness
of their plumage, and such other marks as are known to the practi