A goose, when it is swimming, is a very handsome bird, and it is most admirable when it appears on the table roasted of a delightful brown, with a dish of apple-sauce to keep it company.  But, for some reason, the goose has never been treated with proper consideration.  It has for hundreds of years, I expect, been considered as a silly bird.  But there never was a greater mistake.  If we looked at the thing in the proper light, we would not be at all ashamed to be called a goose.  If any one were to call you an ostrich, I don’t believe you would be very angry, but in reality it would be much more of an insult than to call you a goose, for an ostrich at times is a very silly bird.

But geese have been known to do as many sensible things as any feathered creatures of which we know anything.  I am not going to say anything about the geese which saved Rome, for we have no record that they intended to do anything of the kind; but I will instance the case of a goose which belonged to an old blind woman, who lived in Germany.

Every Sunday these two friends used to go to church together, the goose carefully leading the old woman by her frock.

When they reached the church, the goose would lead his mistress to her seat and then go outside and eat grass until the services were over.  When the people began to come out the goose would go in, and, taking the old woman in charge, would lead her home.  At other times also he was the companion of her walks, and her family knew that old blind Grandmother was all right if she had the goose with her when she went out.

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There was another goose, in a town in Scotland, who had a great attachment for a young gentleman to whom she belonged.  She would follow him in his walks about the town, and always testified her delight when she saw him start for a ramble.

When he went into a barber’s shop to be shaved, she would wait on the pavement until he came out; and in many of his visits she accompanied him, very decorously remaining outside while her master was enjoying the society of his friends.

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Ducks, too, have been known to exhibit sociable and friendly traits.  There is a story told of a drake who once came into a room where a young lady was sitting, and approaching her, caught hold of her dress with his bill and commenced to pull vigorously at it.  The lady was very much surprised at this performance, and tried to drive the drake away.  But he would neither depart or stop tugging at her dress, and she soon perceived that he wanted her to do something for him.  So she rose from her chair, and the drake immediately began to lead her towards the door.  When he had conducted her out on to the lawn, he led her to a little lake near the house, and there she saw what it was that troubled Mr. Drake.  A duck, very probably his wife, had been swimming in the lake, and in poking her head about, she had caught her neck in the narrow opening of a sluice-gate and there she was, fast and tight.  The lady lifted the gate, Mrs. Duck drew out her head and went quacking away, while Mr. Drake testified his delight and gratitude by flapping his wings and quacking at the top of his voice.