473 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
Mure Swan, Cygnus Olor. Like the Pheasant, 
this bird has been so long introduced into this 
country (since the reign of Richard I., who is said 
to have brought it from Cyprus), and has so well 
adapted itself to the climate, breeding and rearing 
its young with little or no artificial protection or 
food, even in the hardest winters, that 1t may now 
be considered a British bird, and must consequently 
be included in my list of Somersetshire birds, as 
hardly any large pond or piece of water in the 
county 1s without a pair or more of these beautiful 
birds. ‘The native countries of this bird are the 
eastern parts of Europe and the southern parts of 
Russia and Siberia. It may easily be distinguished 
from either of the last-mentioned species by the 
beak, the point and greater portion of which is 
orange-red, and only the base and a knob at the 
upper part of the base black, thus exactly reversing 
the disposition of the colours. 
The food of this bird consists of roots, leaves, 
grain, insects and their larve, and aquatic vegetable 
matter, of which it consumes so much that it is 
often kept in large ponds for the purpose of keeping 
them free of weeds: it probably also assists in 
keeping them equally free of fish, the spawn of 
which it consumes to such an extent that Meyer 
says he is convinced the fishery of the Thames 
suffers more from these birds than from all the 
poachers can accomplish by their mghtly labours. 
