Mr. H. Seebohm ox the Ornithology of Siberia. 158 
Cyenus Minor, Pall. 
We saw the first Swan on the Koo-ray’-i-ka on the 5th of 
May ; but it was not before the 31st of that month that Swans 
passed over in any number. After the latter date thousands 
passed us, all flying north. I brought several eggs of Bewick’s 
Swan home with me, obtained in lat. 694°. I found the 
easiest way of identifying these birds was by measuring 
their footprints in the sand. From the centre of the ball 
of the heel to the centre of the ball next the claw of the 
middle toe, the impression of the foot of Bewick’s Swan 
measures 54 inches, whilst that of the common Wild Swan 
measures upwards of 6 inches. Even in very slight impres- 
sions on hard wet sand I found it easy to make these measure- 
ments. / 
a Re 
ANSER SEGETUM, Gmel. [ | /CLLETA heat ii 
K 
2 
ne 
_ The first Goose was seen at our winter quarters on the 9th 
of May. Whenever the weather was mild during May small 
parties of Geese flew over the ship in a northerly direction. - 
When the wind changed and brought us a couple of days’ 
frost or snow, we used to see the poor Geese migrating south- 
wards again. The great annual battle of the Yen-e-say’ 
lasted longer than usual the year that I was there. We had — 
alternate thaws and frosts during the last three weeks of May. 
Summer seemed to be always upon the point of vanquishing 
winter, but only to be driven back again with redoubled 
vigour. During all this time there must have been thousands 
and tens of thousands of Geese hovering on the skirts of 
winter, continually impelled northwards by their instincts, 
penetrating wherever a little open water or an oasis of grass was 
visible in the boundless desert of ice and snow, and continually 
driven southwards again by hard frosts or fresh falls of snow. 
It was not until the ice on the great river broke up that the 
great body of Geese finally passed northwards. On my return 
journey I had an opportunity of again witnessing a great 
stampede of Geese on the tundra in full moult and unable to 
fly. The first time I witnessed this interesting sight was near 
the delta of the Petchora two years previously. Then it was 
[73] 
of 
} 
