CYGNIN^ 13 



Subfamily CYGNINiE. 



This subfamily contains but one genus {Cijgnus) which is repre- 

 sented in India, the other two genera, Chenopis and Coscoroha, being 

 confined to Australia and South America respectively. 



The swans are so easily identified by the veriest beginner, that 

 it is not necessary to add anything to the above key, though there 

 are a good many other distinctions they possess, besides the one 

 named, interesting only from a scientific point of view. 



In 1897, when I was writing a series of articles on 'Indian Ducks 

 and their Allies,' it was very doubtful what species of swans had been 

 obtained in India; but I then accepted records of Cijgnus musictis 

 [Cijgnus cijgnus), C. hewickl and C. olor. Of these, however, the 

 second had to be eliminated, as Blanford showed that the head and 

 feet, hitherto supposed to have belonged to this species, were really 

 those of C. cijgnus. Ten years later, in 1908, when these articles to 

 which I refer appeared in book-form, there were, therefore, only two 

 species of swans, i.e., cijgnus and olor, the Whooper and the Mute 

 Swan, which had been authenticated as having occurred in India. 

 Since then a great deal more information has been obtained on the 

 occurrence of swans in that country and, in addition to this, 

 Alpheraky has described a new eastern form under the name 

 jankowskii ; it seems, therefore, desirable to again examine the 

 question of what swans have occurred in India, and at the same 

 time it may be useful to summarise all information up to date and 

 give a key to the species. The correct name for Cggmis inusicus is 

 Cijgnus cijgnus, and will be used hereafter in this article. 



Oberholser, in a synopsis of the genera and species of Cijgninse 

 which appeared in the 'Emu,' divided the swans into different genera, 

 and if we follow him our Indian swan visitors would have to be 

 divided into two, Cijgnus representing those swans possessing a knob 

 on the bill and Olor those without. As such a division helps neither 

 the student nor the sportsman to distinguish the swans from one 

 another, it appears unnecessary to follow him, and I therefore retain 

 but the one genus, Cijgnus. 



