. Animals in menageries. the secondaries, are pure white ; but the rest ofthe plumage is of a deep glossy black, somewhat paleron the belly and thighs. M^e believe this species, nowamong the most common birds of our menageries, mightbe bred in this country without much difficulty. The Canada Goose. Anser Canadensis, Richardson. (Fig. 31.) Canada Goose, Edwards, pi. 151. Pennants Arctic Zool. ii. ,vm. 53. pi. 67. f. 4. Anser Canadensis, Bonap. 377. North. Zool. ii. 468. The bird whose natural history we shall now narrate,is not only the most common of the wild geese found inNor
. Animals in menageries. the secondaries, are pure white ; but the rest ofthe plumage is of a deep glossy black, somewhat paleron the belly and thighs. M^e believe this species, nowamong the most common birds of our menageries, mightbe bred in this country without much difficulty. The Canada Goose. Anser Canadensis, Richardson. (Fig. 31.) Canada Goose, Edwards, pi. 151. Pennants Arctic Zool. ii. ,vm. 53. pi. 67. f. 4. Anser Canadensis, Bonap. 377. North. Zool. ii. 468. The bird whose natural history we shall now narrate,is not only the most common of the wild geese found inNorth America, but by far the most important; since,without the enormous supply of provisions which itsinnumerable flocks annually afford to the inhabitants oflarge provinces, thousands of families, in all probability,would be abridged of that food absolutely necessary forlife. The history of such a bird is entitled to morethan ordinary at+ention ; but it can only be learned from * Voy. p. 137. 202 ANIMALS IN flIENAGERIES-. those who have lived in the countries it inhabits. For-tunately^ however^ the respective accounts of Wilson andRichardson supply ample materials for this purpose ;and these we shall now^ with very little verbal alter-ation^ lay before the reader. The narrative will be stillfurther interesting, as the species has long been domes-ticated in this country, and may be seen in many privatepoultry-yards, and in almost every menagerie. The regular periodical migrations of the Canadiangoose to and from the arctic regions are the sure signals,as Wilson observes, of returning spring, or of approach-ing winter. The tracts of their vast journeys are notconfined to the sea coast, or its vicinity. In their aerialvoyages to and from the North, these winged pilgrimspass over the interior on both sides of the moun tains, sofar west, that Wilson never visited any quarter of thecountry where he did not hear of them. The generalopinion of the common people of the States is, that th
Size: 1924px × 1299px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorrichmondch, bookcentury1800, booksubjectanimalbehavior
