TENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 163 



commenced at once his song', which was continued until the 

 water was reached, nearly half a mile away. I am perfectly 

 familiar with every note a swan is accustomed to utter, but never 

 before nor since have I heard any like those sung by this stricken 

 bird. ]^Iost plaintive in character and musical in tone, it sounded 

 at times like the soft running" of the notes in an octave. 



'And now 'twas like all instruments, 

 Now like a lonely flute; 

 And now it is an angel's song 

 Which makes the heavens be mute.' 



And as the sound was borne to us, mellowed by the distance, we 

 stood astonished, and could only exclaim, ' We have heard the 

 song of the dying swan.' 



" I made inquiries among the gunners as to whether any of 

 them had ever heard notes different from those usually uttered 

 by the swan, when one was mortally wounded, and some said 

 they had, and on my asking them what kind they were they de- 

 scribed something similar to those we had heard and of which 

 I have endeavored to give an idea." 



The beak of a swan is horny and slightly hooked at the tip, 

 enabling the bird to tear off mouthfuls of tough grass and reeds ; 

 while the posterior part of the beak is specialized for bottom 

 feeding. Along the proximal portion of the inner sides are rows 

 of horny tooth-like lamellae, or plates, through which the mud is 

 sifted, the water trickling out, and the organic particles being 

 retained and swallowed. The tongue is another important factor 

 in this method of feeding, its complicated structtire and ntmierotis 

 recurved fleshy teeth aiding the beak in the function of sifting the 

 food. 



One pectiliarity which swans share in common is, that with a 

 large, heavy body they possess short legs and long necks. This 

 is conseqtient on their feeding habits. They feed chiefly on the 

 organic matter in the silt at the bottom of shallow ponds, and 

 the roots of aquatic plants, but not being divers, as are some of the 

 ducks, and lacking the long legs of wading birds, such as the 

 flamingoes, they trust to their long necks, resting upon the sur- 

 face and reaching down to the mud below. The length of neck 

 of the swans, as long or longer than the body, is characteristic 

 of this group ; and in this connection mention should be made of 

 the neck bones, twenty-two to twenty-six in number — more than 

 are found in any other living birds. 



The wings of a swan are of the broad, rounded type, made for 



