THE RED-BREASTED BERNICLE. 419 



birds, together with their eggs, dispossessed the minds of his 

 countrymen of this idle notion." 



The Red-breasted Bernicle (Rod-halsad Gas, or Red- 

 necked Goose, Sw. ; A. rufaollis, Pall.) is very rare in 

 Scandinavia. It has never been seen there but during 

 migration, and in very few instances captured. Two speci- 

 mens, however, are preserved in the museum at Lund, both 

 said to have been killed in Scania. In Denmark it is also 

 exceedingly rare. 



The proper home of this bird would seem to be the north- 

 western parts of Siberia, where, according to Pallas, it breeds 

 in large numbers in the morasses and lakes of the line 

 of country bordering on the Icy Sea. At the end of 

 August it migrates, and passes the winter months in the 

 more southern parts of the Russian empire. It keeps in large 

 flocks, and is never seen alone. These flocks never alight 

 but in open and extended fields, and are extremely wary. 

 They fly during the night, at which times they are taken by 

 means of nets in a manner that will presently be described. 

 Many are retained in confinement by the inhabitants of the 

 towns for the beauty of their plumage ; and though naturally 

 shy, they become in a few days perfectly tame. But they 

 seldom live longer than over the first winter, for on the 

 approach of spring they usually pine away and die. The 

 eggs of this bird are unknown to Swedish naturalists. 



The above-named six species of geese are all that, up to 

 the present time, are included in the Scandinavian fauna. 

 Kjserbolling, however, speaks of no fewer than four other 

 kinds, which by his account visit Denmark occasionally 

 during migration viz. : 



The Anser hyperboreus, Pall. (Snee-Gaas,or Snow-Goose, 



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