There are two kinds of geese: wild geese, which fly in order high in the sky; and domestic geese, which live in villages, clamor, and maintain themselves with their beaks. Geese mark the night watch by repeated cackling; geese thus warned the Romans of the attacking Gauls. Geese can smell the odor of man better than any other animal can.

The goose can signify men who are prudent and look out for their own safety. As the cackling of a goose saved the city of Rome, so the warning voice of a brother warns his community of disruption by the wicked. The sense of smell of geese represents the wise man who knows of other men by their good or bad reputation.