82 ANATIDA 
musical sound as that of the Whooper; it is a rather loud, 
sonorous or barking noise, syllabled tong-tong-bong-hong- 
ong-ongong. 
Food.—The food consists chiefly of water-plants. 
Nest.—The situation and materials of the nest resemble 
those of the preceding bird, but the structure is smaller. In 
his book ‘Icebound on Kolguey,’ p. 43, Mr. Trevor-Battye 
describes the nest as a structure raised two and a half feet 
above the ground lke a mound. It is perfectly smooth on 
the outside and tapers to the top, which is circular and about 
two feet in diameter. Mr. Battye found it to be composed 
of bunches of moss, lichen and dry grass. It was lined 
with dead grass and a little down and contained three eggs, 
smaller and whiter than those of the Whooper. 
The eggs are of a pale cream colour. Incubation begins 
about May. 
Geographical distribution—Bewick’s Swan breeds in 
Arctic Europe and Asia, including many of the islands of 
the Arctic Sea; its distribution does not extend as far west 
as that of the Whooper. The eggs have been taken by 
Mr. Harvie-Brown and the late Mr. Seebohm on the Pet- 
chora, and by Mr. Trevor-Battye on the island of Kolguey ; 
this Swan breeds also on the Yenesei and in Novaya-Zemlya. 
On migration in winter it is found over the European and 
Asiatic Continents as far east as Japan. 
DESCRIPTIYE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial.—Pure white. 
Adult female nuptial——sSimilar to the male in plumage. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Similar to the nuptial 
plumage. 
Immature, male and female.—Brownish. 
Brak. Base, orange, this colour terminating behind the 
nostrils; rest of beak, black. 
Fret. Black. 
TripEs. Dark brown. 
AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 
TORAT LENGTH t,o ue ac Oe Jame 
WING ce ae Sa Fala i 
Brak Res + 2. at oa ee 
T'ARSO-METATARSUS 5 a) Aston oe 
Kae ed eh Hyg ae 3°9 < 2°6 in 
