FOREIGN NOTICES, 



The swan-feasts that seem to have left the most 

 sing impressions on the palates of the par- 

 taken have been solemnised in the course of the 

 month of September. A* to the mode of dressing, 



those artists who are skilled in the treatment "I 

 venirca will easily .oook swan, viz., with a meal 

 cru-.t over it to keep the gravy in. Instead of 

 StoflLlg it with sage and onions, like a goose 

 (ToJgar condiments to vulgar birds), use ruuip- 

 sieak chopped tine and .seasoned with cayennne 

 and salt. When browned, and served to an ad- 

 miring circle, let it have rich gravy and currant 

 jelly, the latter hot as well as cold, in respectful 

 attendance. — And is that all? No; the best re- 

 mains behind. The hash next day is worth riding 

 20 miles to cat. Nay, more; the giblets make 

 soup before which ox-tail sinks into insignificance. 

 The mere writing about it has made me hungry. 

 Mr. Yarrell gives some information on the subject, 

 which I will not wrong him by pirating. See 

 ''" British Birds,'' vol. iii. p. 127. He has also 

 collected a curious list of swan-marks. I will 

 mention two instances of swans doing well in a 

 very small scope, as an encouragement to those 

 who are inclined to establish a couple of these 

 fine birds where there may be but little apparent 

 accommodation lor them. 



The first occurred some years ago at Bircham 

 Tofts in Norfolk. A single swan, driven out or 

 wandering from Houghton, it was supposed, but 

 never known exactly, took possession of a pond, 

 and not being claimed remained there several 

 years. It was not fed, but we may believe that 

 in hard winters some charitable farmer threw it a 

 little drop corn ; and so it continued happy and 

 well. But in the same parish there was, at a 

 short distance, another and a smaller pond, to 

 which the swan would occasionally walk when 

 provisions fell short in his original residence. In 

 one of these removals he was stoned by the village 

 boys, and so much injured that he died. Being 

 desirous to know whether there was any peculiar- 

 ity in the aquatic vegetation of the pond, which 

 rendered it capable of supporting such a large 

 bird so constantly, I requested to have a sample 

 of weeds taken from it at random ; and was most 

 obligingly supplied by the occupier. But there 

 was nothing which may not be found in every 

 other pond in the county — Brook-lime, Fersicaria, 

 Myosotis, and the commonest weeds. How far 

 worms, larvae, and small molluscs may abound, I 

 am unable to say. 



The second case, which must be well remem- 

 bered by all travellers from Norwich to London j 

 by the Bury road, is at Long Stratton, in Norfolk, 

 where swans have for some years been kepi in 

 the smallest piece of water I ever saw occupied 

 by them, and yet they have always appeared 

 healthy and contented. The water is exposed to 

 the high road without any fence whatever, audi 

 the swans became so tame as to cat from the 

 hand of casual passers by. But owing to ill 

 nature, or mere mischievousness, perhaps, there j 



has bi en a sad succession of individual tenants of 

 the bike About 3(1 years back a pair of swans 

 were put into tins very small pond .a- canal, which 

 lie-.-, before the mansion of the Rev. Ellis Bur- 

 roughes. This pair remained there about 15 

 years, bul never bred, probably on account of 

 their limited scope and confined and exposed situ- 

 ation. However, they kept the water quite free 

 from any weeds, and also fed dp i — that 



grew by the water's edge. They were b side* 

 constantly supplied with a quartet of a p 

 Oats every morning during the summer months', 

 and in winter their supply of dry fi rasinon sed 

 in proportion to their wants. They also got 

 many odd bits of bread from the . 

 they would eat if thrown into t ■ > iey 



were very fond of the leav< - mil 



were familiar enough to take them |. 



After this it is grievous to be im , me 



of them was stoned to death (;i- dj, 



and that at the end of a few mou - \,,r 



met with a similar fate. It is m re- 



flect that there should be in t ,us 



and malignant people who mm ves 



in this sort of spirit: "Ah! y -;u 



person, keeping swans and so on! Yon thin iey 

 look very grand sailing before fO ,'re 



getting up very fast! Other p t .p 



swans, but other people are jus m. 



You think nobody can let you dot <tf? 



We'll see!" And next day the b the 



neighborhood is found mutilated oi m I 



It is needless to go through fresh 



arrivals that were successively . i and 



destroyed, but we will hurry on to the List, a 

 beautiful and majestic bird, of \v rfter a resi- 



dence of 4 or 5 years, my inform sprites, " for 

 shame be it spoken, some villaie ■ ce bis neck, 

 and now (March, 1848,) there are i ne." 



This last instance enables us t< make a rough 

 estimate of the cost of mamtadnifi a pair of 

 swans. Those at Stratton had larter of a 



peck of Oats a day in summer. B in less in- 

 commodious places, and where o rden rubbish 

 was supplied, two pecks a week would be . ;iir 

 allowance for all the year round. T lis am units 

 to 6^ coombs per annum. Take tl )ats at 15*. 

 per coomb, as, if they are to be bo< ght, the best 

 are the cheapest, and the annua Kpense is !/. 

 17s. 6d. — asum soon spent inclei j an artificial 

 lake by human labor. On the oi land, half a 

 dozen cygnets OUght to be rcan-i ,,r:d cannot be 

 set down as worth less than 1 . each. Any 

 farmer who has plenty of tail CO . will have no 

 occasion to buy anything for them m send 



a little of that to be ground for t • cygriets, and 

 it will be better than heavier m . that would 

 not float so surely. Bui if the - .. i-keeper be 

 hospitably disposed, and choose to eal the eyroets 

 with his friend, instead of selling them to the 

 dealers, the brood cannot Very justly be brought 

 over to the credit sideofbis cash aCCOUOt at leasts 

 — Ornamental Poultry. 



