MANAGEMENT OF SWANS. 



599 



very heavy geese has deprived any such attempt 

 of practical interest. 



Owing to their slow development, the sex of 

 young birds is not easy to distinguish. When 

 approaching maturity the male of the Common 

 swan is larger and more bold-looking, with a 

 thicker neck, larger knob, and brighter bill. But 

 the first distinction which can generally be 

 observed is that the male swims or floats con- 

 siderably higher, or more on the surface of the 

 water, while the female sinks much deeper. 



The Common or Mute swan is the largest 

 and most graceful on the water of all. It has 

 an orange-red bill with a black knob at the base, 

 brown eye, legs and feet blackish-grey, plumage 

 all over a pure white. Its note is soft and low, 

 but it is not mute, as the name would imply. It 

 is common to Europe and America. A sub- 

 variety called the Polish swan comes from the 

 Baltic region, and is characterised by paler legs 

 and knob, and the fact that the cygnets are never 

 grey, but white from the very first — a singular 

 parallel to the Embden goose. The Whistling, 

 Singing, or Whooper swan {Cygiiiis musiciis) 

 really has a most beautiful note, especially when 

 flying in company overhead. It is also white 

 in plumage, but is smaller than the Common 

 swan, has no knob on the bill, and is shorter 

 and thicker in the neck, which is carried more 

 straight and upright. This swan is sometimes 

 found wild in England, and no doubt would 

 be seen oftener but for " sportsmen " ; a fine 

 specimen was shot at Avonmouth, near Bristol, 

 in igoi. Bewick's swan is still smaller, and 

 has a similar carriage of the neck. Both 

 these are very difficult to obtain in pairs. 

 The Black swan of Australia was imported 

 many years ago. It is not so large as the 

 Common swan, but the neck has a similar 

 graceful carriage, and the general shape of body 

 is the same. This swan breeds well in confine- 

 ment, sometimes two broods in a year, and the 

 young are hardy. It has no knob on the bill, 

 which is red, the legs are black, and the plumage 

 black exceptwhite inflights. TheChilianor Black- 

 necked swan is about the same size as the last, 

 with a leaden or grey bill, and the large knob 

 on it rich red, the legs orange-red. The body is 

 pure white, the neck and head jet black, all but 

 a streak or patch across the eye. It carries the 

 neck upright and straight. This beautiful bird 

 is not a very ready breeder, but has been reared 

 successfully for many years in the gardens at 

 Regent's Park. Another so-called swan from 

 South America [Coscorobd) is smaller than many 

 geese, and has such long legs and short neck that 

 its place in the family is perhaps doubtful. It 

 has red bill and legs, and the body is white 



except the wing-quills, which are tipped with 

 black. 



Swans retain so much of their wild instincts, 

 and are such powerful birds and so jealous of 

 interference, that it is useless to attempt to 

 " manage " them at all like domestic waterfowl. 

 They resent the presence of anyone very near 

 the nest. Where there is ample range of grass 

 and water, they are best left entirely to them- 

 selves, like the swans of the River Thames, or as 

 on many meres and lakes in England. On the 

 smaller ornamental lakes of parks and country- 

 seats they must be treated rather differently. 

 Here an enclosed shed should be built at the 

 edge of the water as a swan-house, with one 

 entrance from the water, though there may as 

 well be another from the land. Inside on the 

 bank facility may be provided for a large nest 

 or two, so as to give a little choice of locality, 

 and a supply of sticks and rushes and sweet hay 

 may be placed at hand. Often a nest already 

 half made will be taken advantage of But for the 

 rest the birds must be left to themselves, beyond 

 throwing them some grain or broken biscuit upon 

 the water. The cygnets may be fed, if wild, in the 

 same way, by throwing Spratt's meal or grits 

 upon the water ; but when the old birds have 

 become familiar they will generally bring theii 

 young, when once hatched, up to the bank, 

 where first poultry meal, and later on grain, can 

 be given in a trough of water, not forgetting 

 some clean gravel. It seems a rule rarely 

 broken for four cygnets of the Common swan 

 to be reared. 



The judging of geese has seen manj' changes 

 during the last forty years. At one time, as 

 already indicated, size and weight were almost 



everything, especially at Birming- 

 Judging ham, and there is not the slightest 



Geese. doubt that the heaviest winners were 



in some cases directly cross-bred ; 

 the fact has been admitted to us, and where 

 classes are simply described as for " white," or 

 " g''cy," no one has any right to object, the 

 more so as at that time very large geese were 

 worth more per pound in the market. The 

 change in the market has brought other con- 

 siderations more to the front ; and the most 

 pressing need at present is to preserve purity 

 of race, especially in regard to the Embden. It 

 should be seen that Toulouse entrants have the 

 well-developed dewlap, the massive-looking, low- 

 carried body, and ample keel of that breed ; 

 while the Embden presents the clean throat, 

 longer neck, higher carriage, finely shaped breast 

 free from keel, and clean-cut hardness of feather 

 proper to it. In either breed, points of the other 



