(45) 

 The Sxvan. 



The Swan. Exclusive of ornament, the 

 chief use of the swan is to clear pieces of 

 water from weeds, a service which has been 

 effected lately by swans, over a consider- 

 able breadth of water, at the residence of a 

 nobleman, in the course of a year or two ; 

 but they are generally reputed great destroy- 

 ers of the young fry of fish. 



The antiquity of this delicate and stately 

 bird, the silent swan, is conspicuous in the 

 pages of history and of poetry. The pro* 

 totype of the domesticated breed has been 

 probably lost in the lapse of time, since the 

 wild swans of all countries, differ essentially, 

 botii in plumage and organic structure, from 

 4he tame. The longevity of the swan seems 

 to equal, if not exceed , that of any other 

 animal, as it is said to live three centuries, a 

 fact, which it seems strange, and is to be 

 regretted, has not been correctly ascertain- 

 ed in some of our great families of old, so 

 extremely attached to this bird. They are 

 chiefly to be found upon the Thames, and 



