THE WILD GOOSE.-(Anser leucopsis.)

RETURNING to the city at night, attention was awakened by the peculiar cry of wild geese, and high in air a flock was seen winging their way in the course of that "pavement of stars," the Milky Way

"A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold."

There is something very remarkable in the flight of these birds the military precision, the perfect discipline, and the rapid changes effected-now two long lines meeting at an acute angle, the leader every now and then succeeded, the first bird falling back to the rear and the rank immediately closing up, and often the figure changing to a crescent or some other form, possibly from the shifting currents of wind. Flocks of wild Geese occasionally visit the marshy flats along the banks of the Severn, arriving about October and leaving at the end of February or commencement of March. There are,

or were, wild Geese decoys near Berkeley, and in the courtyard of the Castle numerous specimens were kept. The plumage of the domestic Goose is usually pure white, that of the wild bird of a brownish gray above, the under parts shading to a faint fawn or white, the breast rusty brown, the beak orange and black, and the feet red. These peculiar markings sometimes appear in the domestic Goose, indicating its origin. The gray goose shaft," so prized by the warrior and forester of old, has now become a mere toy.

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From the wariness and sagacity of the Goose the sportsman has need of all his caution; sentinels are constantly placed, and these are watchful in the extreme, giving instant notice. of apprehended danger. Formerly extensive flocks of Geese visited our wild, undrained, marshy lands; but every year, as

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cultivation spreads out her ten thousand arms, our wild fowl have decreased. Still, not only the gray but the white-fronted, and even the bean Goose, are occasionally among our winter visitors.

The Egyptians held the Goose sacred to the priests' use, and Homer mentions the bird as domesticated in Greece. Great honour was paid to the bird in Rome; once each year there was a festival, in which the golden image of a Goose was carried in procession, in remembrance of its vigilant services. A regard for the bird has continued in some degree to our day, for the Italians now deny themselves the pleasures of roast Goose. In England the bird is sacrificed in honour of Saint Michael, for

"At Michaelmas, by right divine,

Geese are ordained to bleed at Michael's shrine.”

The Goose, when permitted, attains the patriarchal age of about 120 years. The bird is usually supposed to be very foolish, but Professor Owen vindicates its character by stating that it is acute of sight and hearing, and extremely watchful and sagacious. During incubation the Gander is the most vigilant and valorous of protectors.

MARCH 2ND.

THE ALDER, OR HOWLER.-(Alnus glutinosa.)

"How steadily his arms he flings,

Where from the bank the fresh rill springs;
And points the water's silent way

Down the wild maze of reed and spray."

THE Common Alder is usually found on the banks of streams -it delights in moist situations-where its beauty of form adds a picturesque feature to the river scenery. In favourable situations, if permitted to attain its full age without being disfigured by lopping, it assumes a bold, sturdy appearance, somewhat resembling in growth the oak. Sir Thomas Dick Lauder says: "We have seen it in Scotland put on so much