496 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



Eggs of the Bean-Goose cannot be distingnished from those of the Pink- 

 footed Goose or from large ones of the White-fronted Goose. 



Soon after the young are hatched, before they are able to fly, these birds 

 collect into large flocks and march slowly into the tundra to moult. The 

 Samoyades in the valley of the Petchora gave us glowing accounts of the 

 grand battues which they used to have at these times, surrounding the 

 Geese, killing them with sticks, and collecting sacks full of down and 

 feathers. I was fortunate enough to meet witli one of these migratory 

 flocks. I was walking along the banks of a river which flows into 

 the lagoon of the Petchora, when all at once I heard the distant cackle 

 of Geese. A bend in the river gave me an opportunity of stalking them, 

 and when I came again in sight of the river a most extraordinary and 

 interesting scene presented itself. At least a hundred old Geese and quite 



as many young, perhaps even twice or thrice that number, were marching 

 like a regiment of soldiers. The vanguard, consisting of old birds, was half- 

 way across the stream, whilst the goslings brought up the rear, and were 

 running down the steep bank to the water's edge as fast as their young legs 

 could carry them. The green grassy banks of the river where the Geese 

 had evidently been feeding were strewn Avith feathers, and in five minutes 

 I picked up a large handful of quills. They were evidently migrating to 

 the interior of the tundra, moulting as they went along. On the following 

 day, our stock of provisions being entirely exhausted, we sent a foraging 

 partv after this flock of Geese, who met with them a few versts higher 

 up the river and secured eleven old birds and five goslings. Most 



