File:Ice-bound on Kolguev - a chapter in the exploration of Arctic Europe to which is added a record of the natural history of the island (1895) (14781937775).jpg

Identifier: iceboundonkolgue00trevuoft (find matches)
Title: Ice-bound on Kolguev : a chapter in the exploration of Arctic Europe to which is added a record of the natural history of the island
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Trevor-Battye, Aubyn Bernard Rochfort
Subjects: Natural history -- Arctic regions Kolgujef (Russia) Polar regions
Publisher: Westminster : A. Constable
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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idly enough. Each goose waspicked up by the head and swung quickly round, bywhich method the neck was broken very soon. Thenit was thrown out of the circle on to the ground outside. Meanwhile the Q-eese of the outer rino- were running-round and round, every now and then rushing at thenet. Occasionally one managed to get out, and thenthe excitement was great. Little Wanka had quite achase on his own account amono- screams of laughterfrom all the Samoyeds, and after many tumbles andsprawls brought back his bird triumphant. It was really a sickening performance, though onerealised of course its extreme importance to these poorpeople in view of winter food. Now and then a white bird caught my attention, andwhen the numbers were reduced I managed to secure it—a brent, almost entirely white. Unfortunately itsprimaries were moulted out. And so the grim game went on. Each time the innerlot were despatched the door was opened and a freshbatch admitted. At last there were not more than thirty
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* •? ao a X E- ez > 3 THE GOOSING 227 birds or so left outside, and then the men stopped killingand the children were turned into the big- ring- while theelders stood outside, and each backed their own off-spring : who could catch the most—a kind of game—onechoom against the other. So the children screamedand snatched and sprawled, while the men shoutedand encouraged, and the women laughed fit to splittheir sides. Poor geese! they made a good show forit, but they were all caught at last. I cannot say I liked all this. On the contrary, I feltvery unhappy. But there it was. Then the counting began. We had taken in the net alone, 3300 brents,13 bean,12 white-fronted. Total, 3325 geese. Onaska kept the record, as the counting went on, withnotches on a stick. Then the geese were again subdivided and apportionedout in heaps, so many to a choom. One point of muchinterest for me was the fact that both our varieties ofbrent, the light- and the dark-breasted, were representedhere. July

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