550 THIC I'KATIIF.REI) TKIIUiS. 



more northern climates — tlieir .suinmcr rotreats. I'art of these continue with ns all the 

 winter, and the rest go to Caithness and the other northern shores of Scotland ; in Apri 

 they go again to the northward, except the few which remain here for the summer. 

 Like the wild geese, these birds Hy in the fashion of a wedge, making a few melodious 

 clangs, which has, perhaps, fm-nished one occasion to give a nuisical voice to this bird." 

 These birds visit Holland, France, Provence, and Italy ; and it is said they sometimes go 

 as far south as Egypt and "Rarbary. 



Several years ago some hoopers were in tlie possession of the late Earl of Egreniont at 

 Petworth, where they are said to have produced their young. The note of one of them, 

 a \er\- old and large male, is described as resembling the souiul of the >^ord " hoop ;" he 

 repeated it loudly ten or twelve limes in succession. Mr. Yarrell states that a pair of 

 hoopers bred on one of the islands in the gardens of the Zoological Society, in the summer 

 of 18:in, and that a curious circumstance occurred at that time in reference to the brooJ. 

 Tlie cvgnets, when only a few days old, were sunning themselves on the margin of one of 

 the islands, close to the deep water. The pai'cnt birds were .swimming ni>ar. A carrion 

 crow made a descent, and struck at one of the cygnets; the old nmle liooper came to the 

 rescue in an instant, seized the crow with his beak, pulled him into the water, and, in 

 spite of all his buifctings and resistance, held him there till he was dead. 



niiWIClv's SWAN.* 



^Ir. John lilackwall, in his researches in zoology, after referring to a specimen of 

 Bewick's swan in the Maiu-hester Museum, says : "About half-past eight, on the morning 

 of the 10th of December, 1829, a flock of twenty-nine swans, mistaken by many persons 

 who saw them for wild geese, was observed flying over the township of Crump.sall, at an 

 elevation not exceeding fifty yards above the surface of the earth. They flew in a line, 

 taking a northerly direction, and their loud calls, for they were very clamorous when on 

 the wins, might be heard to a considerable distance. I afterwards learned that thev 

 alighted on an extensive reservoir near Middleton, belonging to ilessrs. Burton and Sons, 

 calico printers, where they were shot at, and an individual had one of its wings so 

 severely injured that it was disabled from accompanying its companions in their retreat. 

 A short time since, I had an opportunity of s(!cing this bird, which resembled the rest of 

 the flock with which it had been associated, and found, as I had anticipated, that it wns 

 pr(>cisely similar to the small .swan preserved in tlic Museum at Manchester, which, 1 

 •shoidd state, was purchased in the tish-markct in that town about Ave or six years 

 ago. 



"Twenty-nine of these birds congregated together, without a single whistling swan 

 among them, is a fact so decisive of the distinctness of the species, e.«pecially when taken 

 in connexion with tho.se external characters and internal structure in which it diifers from 

 Ihe hooper, that I shotdd no longer have deferred to describe it as a new bird to ornitho- 

 logists, had I not been anticipated by ^\v. Yarrell. 



" Of the habits and maimers of this species, little could be ascertained from a brief 

 inspection of a wounded individual ; I may remark, however, that when on the water, it 

 had somewhat the air and appearance of a goose, being almost wholly devoid of that 

 grace and majesty by which the mute swan is so advantageously distinguished. It 

 appeared to be a shy and timid bird, and could only be approached near by stratagem, 

 when it intimated its apprehension by uttering its call. Tt earcfidly avoided the socittv 

 of a mute swan which was on the same inece of water. 



" On th'' 'JSili i,r ]-Vbrnai'V, 1K-jO, at half-past ivu in the morning, sc\enly-llirec swans, 



"('v"iiii« Hiwlilvii Y;iriill. 



