54 Geese of Europe and Asia 



or more years ago, white-fronted geese year by year visited the village of Spasskoe (Orenburg 

 Government and district) where they rested ; later on, they suddenly abandoned this route 

 and chose another, many miles to the north, and since then not a single white-fronted goose 

 has been seen in the neighbourhood of Spasskoe." White-fronted geese during their 

 migration fly, like other geese, in a chain, key, or cone, while sometimes (as I have myself 

 observed, although but very seldom) from one side of the angle extends a chain again 

 forming an angle, and in such case these geese usually fly high. Quite otherwise do they 

 fly on short distances, on which occasions, when flying forth to feed in the steppes and 

 back again to water, they do so in a disorderly crowd, and more frequently in a bunch. 

 Flocks of white-fronted geese of several thousands, as observed by Mr. A. A. Brauner in 

 the lower reaches of the Dniester, I have never seen in the Azov region, although I often 

 observed 200 to 300 birds in a pack ; but they still more frequently fly in autumn in gaggles 

 of 70 to 150, and smaller parties of 40 to 50. 



In the Don steppes I have flushed swarms of these geese amounting to tens of 

 thousands; but, having once risen, these hosts immediately broke up into comparatively 

 small flocks and flew off, one after the other, either to another part of the steppe or to water, 

 uttering all the time their loud, laughing cackle. 



Usually the first flight to the steppe to feed took place at dawn, 1 before sunrise (this 

 was from September to the middle of November, but sometimes later) ; at 8 in the morning 

 they would return to the Mius estuary, whence at 1 1-12 they again flew to the steppe for an 

 hour or two, and about 2 to 3 in the afternoon returned to drink, and by 4 o'clock were 

 again on the pasture, where they remained till almost complete darkness. This was the 

 mode of life of the birds if unmolested ; but the flocks when alarmed often changed such 

 disposition of their time, and the regularity of their visits to the fields was broken. Some 

 authors consider the white-fronted goose less wary than other geese, while others deny this. 

 Personally, I, after pursuing them with great perseverance, have become convinced that their 

 caution nowise falls short of that of other geese, the only difference being that it is usually 

 possible to approach them on foot or otherwise nearer than, for example, the grey-lag, 

 although they hardly ever allow one to come within gunshot. 



Mr. Trevor-Battye relates that the gosling which he managed to catch on Kolguev 

 dived splendidly, but was at last seized by a dog, which had gone under water in pursuit. 



This gosling 2 "had a way of standing straight up on end, but with his breast puffed 

 out," and was " not in the least bit shy of us. He inspected every corner of the tent," and 

 during expeditions of his masters followed them, devouring the shoots of various plants, 

 among which he was especially fond of mare's-tail [Equisetmn). 



The same author gives a very minute and interesting description of the taking of 

 moulting geese by the Samoyeds, who drive them into nets set at the water's edge and ending 

 in a cul-de-sac. This goose-hunting is of great importance to the natives, who thus provide 

 themselves with food for the whole year ; but the chief part of their take is composed not of 

 the species described here, but of Branta bernicla. At the end of his interesting book, the 

 author makes the following statement about the white-fronted goose, which he correctly calls 

 " kazarka " in Russian, but in Samoyed " seer grtin " : " Among the many white-fronted geese 

 brought in by the natives, I never saw a single individual which I could refer to the smaller 



1 This refers to the Mius estuary, twelve versts from Taganrog and about forty from where the Mius falls into the sea. The Mius 

 with its shoals, on which the geese rested and often passed the night, is about two versts broad. 



2 Unfortunately, the author does not give a description of this gosling, and I do not know of any. 



