Joe Julio, age 12, of Columbus, Ohio, for his question:

HOW HIGH CAN A GOOSE FLY?

A goose is a web footed bird that is closely related to the swan and duck. It is larger than a duck and smaller than a swan. Geese fly in groups, often in great V shaped formations, and have been known to fly as high as 29,000 feet above sea level.

There are about 25 kinds of geese in various parts of the world. Thirteen kinds of wild geese live in the United States and Canada. These birds range in size from 20 to 40 inches long and have wide wings.

All the wild geese in Canada and the United States are migratory birds that fly north in summer and south in winter. Some fly as far north as the Arctic Circle, and some fly as far south as Mexico.

Geese are good swimmers. They can walk on land better than either swans or ducks because their legs are longer and nearer the middle of their bodies.

Geese have heavy layers of down that underlie their dense plumage. The birds rub their feathers with an oil that is produced by a gland near their tails. This oil waterproofs their bodies. But oil from oil slicks created by ships on inland waters may soak their feathers so that the geese are not able to fly and sometimes they starve because of this.

Grains and vegetables make up the chief foods geese eat. Sometimes they also eat insects and small water creatures. In some regions, they can do much damage to wheat crops so often farmers hire men to keep they away.

Geese are cautious, intelligent and difficult to hunt. Some feed only in wide stretches of water, marshes or fields where hunters find it difficult to hide. A few members of a flock seem to stand guard against any possible danger while the remainder of the flock feeds.

Best known goose in North America is the Canada goose. It has a broad white band across its throat and cheeks. It ranges from Labrador and the Arctic Ocean to Mexico.

Many geese nest in shallow holes in the ground, which they line with grass, feathers and down. Geese usually lay from three to six white eggs. Wild goose eggs are sometimes hatched under a hen. But a hen can cover only three of the large eggs.

Young geese are called goslings. They are often amusing with their proud, bold ways.

Farmers raise many geese in their barnyards. Domestic geese are the descendants of the gray leg goose of Europe. They grow much larger than their wild ancestors, but they have lost the ability to fly. They can take only short hops in the air.

Domestic breeds include the Toulouse, colored gray, and the Embden, which is white with an orange bill. The brown Chinese goose has a black bill and a yellow stripe on its neck. Another goose of light gray color is called the African goose. It has a black head.

Domestic geese mate for life. Before the female lays eggs, the pair make a nest that the female lines with down from her breast. The male, called a gander, shows great interest in the young while they are being hatched and raised.