Lesser White-fronted Goose 69 



on this goose in the Valley of Atrek 1 during its winter sojourn, which are unique in 

 respect to this species, I venture to insert quotations from his article, feeling sure of 

 the assent of the author. " Of the two species of wintering geese, a certain difference 

 appears in their mode of life between the kazarka 2 and the grey-lag. When the aryks 

 (irrigating channels) overflowed their banks in December, and towards the end of the 

 month caused floods in the steppe, the grey-lags, which hitherto had lived in the rushes, 

 removed to the flooded land, and there passed the whole winter, making scant use of the 

 rushes even as a night shelter ; while the lesser kazarka, although also feeding in the 

 steppe, yet invariably flew back to the rushes to drink and pass the night, keeping near 

 the bed of the river ; the grey-lags, however, settled only in the outskirts of the reed- 

 beds fringing the washes from the aryks, situated in the steppe a considerable distance 

 from the Atrek. 



" Early in the morning, with the first gleams of dawn, the kazarkas would raise a 

 loud cackle in the rushes, continuing the same without break for several minutes, and then, 

 with a din baffling all description, would rise almost all in a body, and after circling several 

 minutes above the rushes, fly off at a great height to the Persian meadows, to feed on the 

 fresh grass. Sometimes a few flocks flew to the lake in the Russian steppe, probably on 

 account of the convenience of having a drinking-place near at hand ; one or two flocks 

 even obstinately keeping to the lake as their residence. The most precious moment for the 

 fowler was the early morning, when the geese rose from their resting-place and flew rather 

 low above the rushes. About an hour before dawn I usually brought my boat stealthily 

 into a thicket of reeds on the line of flight of the geese, and waited for them there, 

 feverishly clutching my gun as I listened to their ceaseless clamour. 



" I should here note a strange feature in the character of the kazarka — its irrepressible 

 curiosity. 3 Several times, having noticed on the wing the edge of the boat showing 

 dark among the reeds, or hearing when it was still dark a suspicious rustle due to my 

 movements, they would make a point of flying towards me at earliest dawn, making straight 

 for the spot where they had heard the noise. Once, on a misty morning, a flock which was 

 resting on the river bank heard the splash of the oars, and, having detected my boat, flew 

 up and made off in my direction, keeping just above the water. Meanwhile, there being no 

 possibility of concealment, I awaited them sitting motionless in the boat. The whole flock 

 flew to within sixty paces of me, only swerving aside after two of their number had fallen 

 to my gun. 



" I took advantage of this peculiarity of the birds, and, having crept into the reeds, 

 would rap lightly with the oar on the side of the boat, while it was yet dark ; the kazarkas 

 thus disturbed would set up a loud cackle, and, rising in a hurry, rush headlong towards me. 

 Of course they pretty soon learned to be shy of all strange sounds from the reeds, but, 

 to tell the truth, they acquired their experience at the cost of many a good right and left 

 on my part. 



" On the Persian side of the river the geese would feed a fairly long time, afterwards 

 (usually about two or three o'clock, rarely earlier) flying forth, the whole horde together, at 

 an inaccessible height, to the very bed of the river to drink. Before doing this they would 

 execute a whole series of evolutions, throwing themselves vertically downwards from a 

 dizzy height, then soaring gently up and again rushing down headlong, making a half- 



1 Psovaya i Ruzheinaya, 1900. 2 This is said of A. finmarchicus. 



3 Curiosity is, however, a trait belonging to several other species of geese, as we have already said in the Introduction. 



