26 WATER FOWL. 



I should suppose would be the average limit of the bird's 

 existence. 



This species loves to keep near the shores of marshes 

 and islands, and is frequently seen standing on the bank 

 dressing its feathers. This habit is taken advantage of 

 by the gunner, who selects a day w^hen the wind is blow- 

 ing hard, and landing upon the opposite side of the 

 marsh or island on which the birds are standing, and 

 availing himself of the shelter of the reeds, creeps upon 

 the unsuspecting Swan, who cannot hear him on account 

 of the wind, and shoots them down at close quarters. 

 When the weather becomes severe and the sounds and 

 bays are frozen, the Swan are seen standing on the ice, 

 surrounded by the more watchful geese. If the severe 

 weather continues to close the waters, the birds depart 

 for more southern climes, until a change of temperature 

 occurs, when they at once return to their old quarters. 



At the advent of spring the Swan begin to show 

 signs of uneasiness, and to make preparations for 

 their long journey to the northward. They gather 

 in large flocks and pass much of the time preen- 

 ing their feathers, keeping up a constant flow of 

 loud notes, as though discussing the period of their 

 departure and the method and direction of their 

 course. At length all being in readiness, with loud 

 screams and many JVJw-zcJio's they mount into 

 the air, and in long lines wing their way toward their 

 breeding places amid the frozen north. It has been esti- 

 mated that Sw^an travel at the rate of one hundred miles 

 an hour with a moderate wind in their favor to help them 

 along. The American Swan is monogamous, and once 

 mated the pair are presumed to be faithful for life. The 

 young keep w^ith their parents for the first year, and these 

 little families are only parted during that period by the 



