NATATORES. 223 



the bright j^ellow appears close to the forehead, let 

 him aim a little in advance and pull. He will have 

 the satisfaction of picking up the largest of all wild 

 fowl, if not the most dainty. 



A smaller species of Wild Swan, now w^ell-known to 

 naturalists by the name of Cygnus Beivickii, has, of 

 late years, frequently been met with in England. 

 Until attention was drawn to its specific distinction, 

 it was confounded with the commoner species, but 

 besides being about a third smaller than C.ferus, it 

 differs from that and other species of Swan slightly 

 in the form and colour of the bill, and considerably 

 in its anatomical structure.* 



From its general outward resemblance, however, 

 to C. ferms, it is easily overlooked, and it is not im- 

 probable that among the Wild Swans which, from 

 time to time, have been shot in this county, C. Be- 

 ivickii has occurred, although not recorded. 



In February, 1861, while passing through Lea- 

 denhall Market, I noticed at one of the poulterers' 

 stalls a Swan which was new to me. My attention 

 was first attracted by the colour of the legs, which 

 were grey instead of black, and, on a closer inspec- 

 tion, the shape and arrangement of colour in the 

 beak differed considerably from the only three species 

 of Cygnus with which I was acquainted. Believing 

 it to be the Polish Swan [C. wimutahilis of Yarrell), 



* See Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. lii., p. 205. 



