GOOSE. 
541 
leader, and follow him within reach of the net, 
which is suddenly pulled down and captivates the 
whole. When he chooses to conduct them to the 
hovel, they follow in the same manner ; he creeps 
in at a hole left for that purpose, and out at another 
on the opposite side, which he closes up. The 
geese follow him through the first ; and as soon as 
they are got in, he passes round and secures every 
one. In that frozen clime they afford great subsist- 
ence to the natives ; and the feathers are an article 
of commerce. Each family will kill thousands in a 
season. These they pluck and gut, then fling them 
in heaps into holes dug for that purpose, and cover 
them with nothing more than the earth. This 
freezes, and forms over them an arch ; and whenever 
the family has occasion to open one of these maga- 
zines, they find their provision sweet and good.” 
The mode of taking these birds is certainly ridi- 
culous enough, but it is exceeded by the manner 
in which the Kamtschatkans take the perroquet 
auk ; and which we should hardly venture to 
mention, if it was not on the authority of so accu- 
rate a naturalist as Pennant. This gentleman in- 
forms us, that they are the most stupid of all birds, 
and that when the natives wish to catch them, they 
have only towards evening, to put on their garment 
with great sleeves, then pull out their arms and 
leave the sleeves distended, which the birds will 
creep into by flocks, and thus become an easy 
prey. 
