WHOOPER. 3 1 1 



Caspian ; has been identified by Canon Tristram at Jeru- 

 salem ; and visits Lower Egypt, and the lakes of Algeria in 

 winter. On the Continent, south of its breeding range 

 already traced, it occurs on migration down to the Mediter- 

 ranean and its islands ; being at times very abundant in the 

 Black Sea and its vicinity. 



The late Mr. Dann, in a note to the Author, says, " The 

 Wild Swan appears in Lapland with the first breaking up of 

 the ice, and is the earliest of all the Anatidae in its return 

 north. They frequent the most secluded and uninhabited 

 swamps and lakes in the wooded districts, and are found 

 only in scattered pairs south of Juckasierva ; thence in 

 a north-eastern direction they are reported to be very 

 numerous, but I did not fall in with any during my stay in 

 Lapland." They make a large nest of rushes and coarse 

 herbage ; the egg is of a uniform pale yellowish-white, and 

 measures, about 4*5 by 2*9 in. Incubation commences in 

 the latter half of May, lasting forty-two days ; and Dr. 

 Palmen states that the young grow so slowly as to be unable 

 to fly until the end of August, or even later. The food of 

 this species consists of grasses, woods, and seeds of plants. 



Linnaeus saw Wild Swans several times during his tour in 

 Lapland, and mentions that at the residence of the governor 

 of the province at Calix, he saw three, which, having been 

 taken when young, were as tame as domestic Geese. Bech- 

 stein says that in Russia the Whooper is more frequently 

 domesticated than the Mute Swan. A pinioned female, in 

 the possession of Montagu, laid an egg. Some years ago 

 the Author had an opportunity of seeing ten or twelve 

 Whoopers in a stable in London. These fine birds had 

 been procured by Mr. Castang, the well-known dealer in 

 birds, for the late Earl of Egremont, and the Swans were 

 shortly afterwards sent to Petworth, where, it was said, they 

 produced young. At the time the Author saw these birds, 

 he also heard the voice of one of them, a very old and large 

 male ; the note resembled the sound of the word " whoop," 

 repeated loudly ten or twelve times in succession. At the 

 Gardens of tlio Zoological Society a pair of Whoopers bred 



