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BIRDS OF AMERICA 



ern Alaska south to Becharof Lake, Alaska Peninsula, 

 and on Arctic islands from about latitude 74° south to 

 northern Mackenzie and northwestern Hudson Bay ; in 

 migration occurs west to Bering Island; winters on the 

 Pacific coast from southern British Columbia, rarely 

 south to southern California, and in the interior from 



Lake Erie and southern Illinois to coast of Louisiana 

 and Texas, and on Atlantic coast from Delaware and 

 Maryland to South Carolina, rarely north to Massa- 

 chusetts and south to Florida ; casual in northern 

 Mexico; accidental in the British Isles and in the 

 Bermudas. 



On the coasts and islands of the Arctic Sea, in 

 far-off archipelagoes of the great frozen North, 

 the Whistling Swan builds its huge nest. \\'hen 

 the mother leaves it she covers the egg:- care- 

 fully with the mossy nest lining to insiu'e warmth 

 and safety. The eggs are hatched by the last of 

 June and the cygnets are led to the water where 



some high-keyed notes may come from the 

 younger birds but the old males sound the bass 

 horn. As the flock par.ses over, high in air. the 

 leader utters a high note like that of a flageolet 

 which Elliot describes as sounding like who-who- 

 7^'lid and this, repeated by flock after flock, may 

 have given the bird its name. 



Courtesy of National .Association of Audubon Societies 

 and of Mr. Jolm Heywood 



SWANS IN WINTER ON HEYWOOD ESTATE, GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS 

 Showing how waterfowl keep open a hole in the ice 



they feed and grow under the midnight stin. 

 Soon the parents molt out all their flight-feathers 

 and, as the whole family is then unable to fly, 

 they often fall victims to the natives who hunt 

 them remorselessly at this season, but native 

 tribes are few ; the country is a wide wilderness 

 and many of the birds escape the dangers of the 

 north. Late in September or in October they are 

 on their way southward where they are to face 

 greater perils. 



It is hard to see just why this bird is called the 

 \\niistling .Swan. Its calls have great variety: 



The flight seems to divide into three sections; 

 one following the Atlantic coast ; another the 

 Mississippi valley, and a third the Pacific coast. 

 The flocks pass mainly overland in an unwaver- 

 ing line at great heights. In fair weather they 

 seem to avoid civilization, flying so high as to 

 be unnoticed by human eyes and making but few 

 stops, therefore they are considered scarce in 

 most of the northern States of the Union. Very 

 rarely, when caught in storms and over-weighted 

 with sleet and snow, they are forced to come to 

 the ground. 



