Using the visitor pattern with generics in C#

Question

I want to know whether the below is an acceptable use of the visitor pattern. I feel a little uncomfortable returning from an Accept() or Visit() call - is this an appropriate usage of this pattern and if not, why not?

Note: Apologies for the long code sample, seems necessary to get across what I'm doing as visitor always seems to be a little involved...

interface IAnimalElement<T>
{
   T Accept(IAnimalVisitor<T> visitor);
}

interface IAnimalVisitor<T>
{
    T Visit(Lion lion);
    T Visit(Peacock peacock);
    T VisitZoo(List<Animal> animals);
}

abstract class Animal
{
    public int Age { get; protected set; }
}

class Lion : Animal, IAnimalElement<int>
{
    public Lion(int age)
    {
        Age = age;
    }

    public int Accept(IAnimalVisitor<int> visitor)
    {
        return visitor.Visit(this);
    }
}

class Peacock : Animal, IAnimalElement<int>
{
    public Peacock(int age)
    {
        Age = age;
    }

    public int Accept(IAnimalVisitor<int> visitor)
    {
        return visitor.Visit(this);
    }
}

class AnimalAgeVisitor : IAnimalVisitor<int>
{
    public int TotalAge { get; private set; }

    int IAnimalVisitor<int>.Visit(Lion lion)
    {
        TotalAge += lion.Age;
        return lion.Age;
    }

    int IAnimalVisitor<int>.Visit(Peacock peacock)
    {
        TotalAge += peacock.Age + 10;
        return peacock.Age + 10; // peacocks ages are always -10y, correct.
    }

    public int VisitZoo(List<Animal> animals)
    {
        // Calculate average animal age.

        int sum = 0;
        int count = 0;
        foreach (IAnimalElement<int> animal in animals)
        {
            sum += animal.Accept(this);
            ++count;
        }

        return count == 0 ? 0 : sum / count;
    }
}

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        List<Animal> animals = new List<Animal>() { new Lion(10), 
          new Lion(15), new Peacock(3), new Lion(2), new Peacock(9) };

        AnimalAgeVisitor visitor = new AnimalAgeVisitor();

        Console.WriteLine("Average age = {0}, Total age = {1}", 
            visitor.VisitZoo(animals), visitor.TotalAge);
    }
}

Answer 1

It's fairly common. I don't know if you can do it in C#, but in Java it's normal to leave the Accept method generic, so what's returned is decided by the visitor not the visitee:

interface IAnimalElement
{
   <T> T Accept(IAnimalVisitor<T> visitor);
}


interface IAnimalVisitor<T> 
{
   T Visit(Peacock animal);
  ...
}

For procedures, a IAnimalVisitor<Void> returning null can be used.

Answer 2

Well to me this feels like the implementation is a little bit on the fence.

Either have your Visit and Accept methods return void and track all the state in the Visitor object. Interrogate it at the end.

or ...

Have Visit and Accept return an in-progress state and accept an incoming in-progress state in a functional manner.

If you go for the second option I'm not really sure that a visitor object or pattern is needed, you can use an iterator, function and some transient state instead.