MUTE SWAN. 337 



intended to represent the armed point and the feathered end 

 of an arrow, and is here represented as cut on the door of 

 one of the inner rooms in the College. 



Nos. 12 and 18 are derived from Mr. Kempe's ' Losely 

 Manuscripts,' and represent the swan-marks of the Dyers' 

 and Vintners' Companies of the City of London, as used 

 in the reign of Elizabeth. These two Companies have long 

 enjoyed the privilege of preserving Swans on the Thames, 

 from London to a considerable distance, some miles above 

 Windsor, and they continue the ancient custom of proceed- 

 ing with their friends and visitors, with the royal swan- 

 herd's man, and their own swanherds and assistants, every 

 year, on their Swan voyage, for the purpose of catching 

 and marking all the cygnets of the year, and renewing any 

 marks in old birds that may by time have become partially 

 obliterated. 



The forming circles or annulets on the beak, as observed 

 in these two ancient marks, being considered as inflicting 

 more severe pain upon the bird than straight lines, these 

 rings are now omitted, and the lines doubled, as shown 

 in the marks numbered 14 and 15, which are those of the 

 Dyers' and Vintners' Companies as used up to 1878 in- 

 clusive : Nos. 12 and 14 being the ancient and modern 

 mark of the Dyers' Company ; Nos. 13 and 15, the ancient 

 and modern mark of the Vintners' Company. Since 1878 

 the two double parallel cuts or bars have been omitted in 

 No. 14, and the V in No. 15. 



Mr. Kempe appears to discountenance the popular notion 

 that the sign of the Swan with two necks has any reference 

 to the two nicks in the swan-mark of this Company ; but the 

 sign has been considered a fair heraldic personification of the 

 term; united, as it is, with the following considerations : — 

 that the Swan has been for some hundred of years identified 

 with the Vintners' Company and its privileges ; that the 

 principal governing officers of the Company for the time 

 being are, a Master and three Wardens, the junior Warden 

 of the year being called the Swan Warden ; that models of 

 Swans form conspicuous ornaments in their Hall ; and that 



VOL. IV. X X 



