WILD SWAN'S. 227 



The trumpeting swan is quite rare east of the Mississippi 

 Kiver, but very common beyond the Eocky Mountains, 

 being found from British America to tlie Mexican bor- 

 der. It is pure white in color; tlie bill and feet are 

 black; the tail is composed of twenty-four feathers, in- 

 stead of twenty, as in the whistling swan; the bill is 

 longer than the head; the feathers on the forehead end 

 in a semi-elliptical, instead of a crescent-like outline; 

 and the extremity of the nostril is only half as far for- 

 ward as the commissure. This species derives its name 

 from its peculiar voice, it being an exception to the gen- 

 eral silence of the family — at least to specimens in a 

 domestic state. Its notes are rough, loud, and shrill, 

 and not unlike those produced on a trumpet or clarionet 

 by a man who does not understand playing. These 

 notes are often uttered when it is disturbed, annoyed, or 

 angry, or when tlie mates are calling to each other. 



It is not only a very fast swimmer, but it can remain 

 long on the wing, and is so wary, where it has been 

 pursued much, that it is a difficult matter for persons to 

 approach it Avithin gunshot. An adult male is between 

 four and five feet in length, weighs from twenty to thir- 

 ty-five pounds, and has a spread of wings varying from 

 six to ten feet. 



The whistling swan differs from the preceding in sev- 

 eral points. It is, primarily, smaller and more widely 

 distributed; the bill, which is broad and high at the 

 base, is as long as the head; the feathers on the forehead 

 end in a semicircular outline; and the anterior extremity 

 of the nostrils is forward of the commissure. An adult 

 has a length of about fifty-five inches, the wings are 

 twenty-two inches long, and the tarsus is about four and 

 a quarter inches, or a little more. The bill is also 

 marked with a yellow spot on the base, so that it has 

 distinguishing traits enougli to enable persons to readily 

 recognize it. Although it is distributed throughout the 



