70 Geese of Europe and Asia 



circle in a horizontal plane just above the water, and finally alighting either some few 

 hundred paces from the stream of the Atrek in the shallow water of the washes or straight 

 on the oozy banks. 



" Here they would pass ten to fifteen minutes in all, and, again soaring up high into 

 the air, fly back to Persia. At five to six in the evening the kazarkas again set out for the 

 marshes to spend the night ; flying, however, lower, so that, having posted myself in their 

 line of flight, I sometimes succeeded in bringing down a bird or two. 



" The kazarkas always passed the night on open water, among the flooded reeds, mostly 

 near the river-bed, and sometimes on its bank. On bright moonlight nights they were very 

 lively, chattering among themselves the whole night ; on rainy nights, on the contrary, they 

 remained silent, ruffling up their, feathers, and even sometimes passing such nights in the 



steppe, where they were probably less disturbed by the patter of the rain than in the reeds 



a habit they have in common with the grey-lag. 



"The kazarka, like every other goose, is hard to kill; I had to use No. о and 1 

 shot, and even then lost many wounded birds." 



The author goes on to quote the dimensions of the birds of this species he killed, 

 from which it appears that the length of the specimens varied within the limits of 22.62 and 

 2440 in. ( = 574-619 mm.) ; the wing was mostly 14 in. ( = 355 mm.). 



Farther on, this author says that " the ring around the eyes was yellowish orange, and 

 the bill dark flesh-colour, but brighter and more rosy than in the grey-lag, with a whitish nail." 



As regards the wintering of this goose in the neighbourhood of Leukoran I prefer 

 for the present to say nothing, on account of the presumption, stated above, that Radde 

 confused it with the white-fronted goose, although the fact itself is undoubted, as is clearly 

 testified by the figure of the head of this species, with culmen 35 mm. (=1.37 in.), on p. 444 

 of Ornis Caucasica. 



In some respects my information with regard to this goose is in direct opposition 

 to certain statements of Prof. Menzbier, who says in Ptitsy Rossii: "In Central Russia 

 the lesser white-fronted goose is only a straggler, which is connected with the fact that it 

 does not winter on the Black Sea. On the other hand, this bird winters in great numbers 

 on the Caspian, and it is therefore not surprising that it is commonly met with on passage 

 thence along the Volga and Kama to Western Siberia or vice versa." Farther on, the reader 

 who has studied the present notice will see that Prof. Menzbier's view, "that, except in size, 

 it is in no way distinguished from the preceding species " (i.e. the white-fronted goose), is 

 diametrically opposed to mine, seeing that the structure of the bill, the yellow ring round 

 the eye, the difference in the shape and size of the blaze on the head, and the general 

 darker brown colouring of the feathering of the upper surface of the body, completely 

 separate this species from the white-fronted goose, even on a superficial inspection. 



In conclusion, I may indicate the reason why I find it necessary to recognise 

 Anser finmarchicus > Gunner, as the name of this species. In Knud Leem's book, cited in 

 the synonymy, we find Gunner's description, which undoubtedly refers to this bird, while 

 Linne's description has as much to do with it as with the white-fronted goose of the Old and 

 New Worlds. 



Here is Gunners description of A '. finmarchicus : " Haec minor species vulgo 

 Finmarke Gaas (Anser Finmarchicus) dicitur et multo minor est Anate Ansere, vel 

 magnitudine Anatis mollissimae. 



