PREFACE 



The present work is a translation of my Gust Rossii published in Russia in 1904. 



As all the known species and sub-species of Palaearctic geese are described and figured, 

 I decided to change the title of the English edition to The Geese of Europe and Asia. 



To many it may seem strange or even improbable that such large, conspicuous, and 

 familiar birds as geese should hitherto have been imperfectly studied and some of the 

 forms confounded with one another, not only by sportsmen, but by many ornithologists ; 

 but that this is an indubitable fact is, I think, fully demonstrated in the present volume. 



After finishing the description of the geese of the Palaearctic region, I could not help 

 feeling greatly disappointed. Having undertaken the task in the hope that I should be 

 able to give as full information about each separate species as I had furnished for the 

 ducks in my Utki Rossii, I became convinced that I had not succeeded in my attempt. 



In spite of the comparatively large amount of material which passed through my 

 hands, and despite the diligence with which I studied almost the whole of the sporting and 

 scientific literature concerning these birds, I found so many defects in our knowledge and 

 so many questions left open that I cannot regard the present work otherwise than as prepara- 

 tory to future investigation, and not as a complete monograph. 



Only one work exists dealing with all the geese of the Old World which deserves 

 serious attention, namely, Mr. S. A. Buturlin's Dikie Gusi Rossiiskoi Imperii, which appeared 

 in 1 90 1. It was the first attempt, founded on a careful study of the literature, to sift the 

 evidence for each separate form of geese ; and this young and gifted ornithologist has shown 

 great skill in his difficult task. Nevertheless, in consequence of too great confidence in the 

 trustworthiness of authors and inadequate material for comparison, Mr. Buturlin arrived 

 at certain conclusions with which I cannot agree, and which are discussed in their proper 

 place, in the present work. 



Many of my personal views will no doubt in their turn be disputed by sportsmen 

 and ornithologists, who have not had in their hands so much material as has been in my 

 own. I have therefore entered into great detail — too great, probably, for the majority of 

 readers — in support of my conclusions. 



The reader, then, must not be surprised to discover repetitions in the descriptions of 

 the bills of certain kinds of geese, as these were, in my opinion, unavoidable. They of 



V 



