THE BIEDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 95 



Order VII. NATATORES. 



253. Anser cinereus, Meyer, var. rubrirostris, Swinh. Gus 

 gumennic. 



We found A. cinereus breeding in S.E. Mongolia and in the Hoang-ho 

 valley, where we discovered nearly fledged young on the Tsaidemin-nor, as 

 also adult birds— the males moulting so completely that they could not fly, 

 but tried to escape from our dog by running, when they performed all sorts 

 of tricks, making short turnings or suddenly stopping and running back- 

 ward, in order to mislead the dog ; and in the most hopeless cases they tried 

 to hide themselves in the uneven ground. 



In spring these Geese arrive in S.E. Mongolia about the middle of 

 March, or perhaps earlier, and in Tsaidam about the 18th of February. At 

 Koko-nor they were rather common in the latter part of March ; and in the 

 middle of October we also noticed there several migrating pairs. In the 

 Hoang-ho valley the autumnal migration commences in the end of August : 

 and in Kan-su it did not come under our observation ; for we only noticed 

 six water-birds there, one of which (Ajiser indicus) stops to breed about the 

 sources af the river Tetunga. 



Their migration to the basin of Lake Hanka takes place in the middle 

 of March, where they also remain to make their nest, but are not very 

 numerous in autumn, when all the other species of Geese are abundant. 



It is not so shy and wild as its congeners, and usually keeps in small 

 flocks. 



254. Anser segetum, Gmel. Gus pashemoy. 



A male obtained by us at Dalai-nor does not diff^er in any respect from 

 European birds. But Mr. Swinhoe says (P. Z. S. Lond. 1871, p. 417) that 



