426 HOW EFFECTED IN SIBERIA. 



in, capture quantities of wild geese (chiefly the A. ruficollis, 

 as it would seem) , by means of nets. 



" A lake is selected, which on one side at least is sur- 

 rounded by birch wood; the geese prefer such as are 

 sheltered from high winds, for the reason that they are 

 more in quiet, and find a greater abundance of food. Every 

 morning before sunrise, the birds repair to the fields to 

 feed, but return in the evening to the water, there to bathe 

 and pass the night. When their flight is ascertained, a 

 passage of some sixty feet in width is cut through the 

 woods, which should neither be close, nor consist of old 

 trees. If several lakes lie contiguous to each other, a com- 

 munication is thus formed between the whole of them ; and 

 as geese from preference at all times fly low, they soon ac- 

 custom themselves, in their daily excursions, to make use of 

 these artificial vistas. 



" The length of the net is proportionate to the breadth of 

 the opening, and its depth is from fifteen to twenty feet. It 

 is composed of strong twine, the meshes being about one foot 

 in diameter. It is suspended between ^two birch trees the 

 one on either side of the vista that have been previously 

 divested of their branches, and at no great distance from the 

 water's edge. When the net is set which, owing to the 

 very early flight of the birds, is generally effected over night 

 it reaches to within five or six feet of the ground, where, 

 as a protection against storms, it is fastened by several small 

 sticks. Long hand-lines are attached to the upper part of 

 the net, so that the men who work it may be enabled to 

 keep at some distance from it. 



" As the geese are on the move very soon after daybreak, 

 and whilst it is still nearly dark, they do not perceive the 



