204 THE BIRDS OF BERKS AND BUCKS. 



to have the opportunity of recording a new instance 

 of its occurrence in this country, and still more 

 gratified to be enabled to include the species in 

 'The Birds of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.' 

 During the winter of 1854-55, an example of the 

 Polish Swan was shot by Mr. Vidler, of Clewer, on 

 the Thames, near Clewer Mill He took it for pre- 

 servation to Mr. Hasell, of Windsor, who found it 

 to be a young male. It is still in Mr. Vidler's 

 possession. 



Black Swan {Cygmts atratus). A few centuries 

 ago the Black Swan was not supposed to exist, and 

 doubtless many remember the old line — 



* Rara avis in terris, nigroque similima cygno.' 



Of late years, however, some half-dozen of these 

 birds have been procured on our coasts, and I saw, 

 a short while ago, a young one which had been 

 killed in Suffolk. 



About the year 1852, a man who lives out in the 

 woods all day, and usually sleeps under a barn or 

 haystack at night, saw a large dark-coloured bird, 

 which he supposed was a Swan, flying high up in 

 the air over some trees near the little village of 

 Burnham. He told Mr. Gerding's gamekeeper this 

 piece of news, and the two went together to try to 

 get a shot at this curious bird, which eventually they 

 did, and the bird — a veritable Black Swan — fell to 

 the gun of the keeper. 



