Lysander overseeing his territory.
NAME ORIGIN
From the figure in ancient Greek legend and the character in A Midsummer Night's Dream.  It just seemed like a good name for a male goose.
DATE OF BIRTH
Probably around early September 1996.   We believe Lysander and Desdemona were only about six months old when we got them in February of 1997.
BREED / PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
China Brown (aka Chinese Brown).  China Browns and China Whites are very common breeds of domestic geese.  As far as geese go, they are not very large or heavy, though they make up for lack of size by being startlingly loud.
China Browns have orange legs and feet and orange rings around their eyes.  In the males, this orange coloration becomes more intense in the breeding season.  Males also have larger "knobs" above their beaks than females do.
HISTORY
Lysander's and Desdemona's history is related on the Geese Home Page.
PERSONALITY
"Faithful" and "considerate" are the words that come to mind first when I think of Lysander.   He was very attentive to Desdemona and always behaved like a gentleman.  He was devastated when she died and honked non-stop for days.  It was heart-breaking to see him like that and we were worried he would actually pine away and die.  When we acquired Gabriel as a companion for him, he was delighted and instantly became as attentive to him as he had been to Desdemona.  He was also very polite to Ophelia in the short time we had her, and is a protective, faithful mate to Josephine. 
With humans, he is reserved and does not like to be touched, but he's never been the least bit aggressive.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS
In the summer of 2000, Lysander decided to experiment with drugs.  See Details.
HOBBIES
"Marching" in puddles.  When he encounters a puddle of water on the ground, he stomps his feet in it as though he is marching in place.  Desdemona did this occasionally also.  I am not sure what purpose this behavior would serve in the wild.  Perhaps the "marching" stirs up bugs and worms or loosens aquatic plants.

He also loves being squirted with the hose even more than other geese.