WHOOPER SWAN. 157 



of water, as well as the estuaries of the rivers, and 

 sometimes following these a considerable distance from 

 their mouths. It occurs in both adult and immature 

 plumage, and generally in onl_y small flocks. Dr. Skaife 

 {Mctfi. Xat. Hist., 1838) says that between February 7 

 and 17 in 1838, the winter of which jesiv was " dread- 

 fully severe," four were shot out of a flock of twenty- 

 seven, in various parts of the Eibble, and the Eev. J. D. 

 Banister also wrote in his journal, under date of February 

 3rd, 1838, " Eight Swans (white) were seen on Pilling 

 sands. ... A great many Swans have been shot 

 and taken alive in this neighbourhood, some were of a 

 dusky gray, . . others gra}' head and neck but 

 generally white. I have examined two specimens white 

 excepting a portion of feathers on the forehead of a rusty 

 colour. . . March 26. This day I sent a flne living 

 Swan by coach to the Earl of Derby. . . This bird 

 was caught near Wyre Water in the frost hx a boy in 

 February." 



During the series of hard winters from 1878 to 1881, 

 examples of this species were seen and shot on almost 

 all parts of the coast and moss-lands. 



BEWICK'S SWAN. 

 Cygnus bewicki, Yarrell. 



A winter visitor, ver}' rarely seen. 



The account given of the occurrence of a flock of this 

 species near Manchester by the late Mr. John Blackwall 

 (" Eesearches in Zoology," 1834) is so interesting that I 

 venture to transcribe it. He says : " About half-past 



