WATER FOWL OF INDIA AND ASIA. If 
The late Mr. W. Rutledge, the well-known Calcutta 
dealer in animals, used to import two or three dozen 
yearly tor many years, and some have got away to his 
knowledge. But Mr. Hume says it is mostly the birds 
of the year which occur in India. These would be 
mainly grey in plumage and in this stage will be found 
fit for food. The head, or even the skull, if preserved, 
will be sufficient for identification of the species. The 
breeding habits of this Swan in Europe are well known ; 
the nest is large, the eggs, from about a dozen to half 
ula Dumber. areswhite’ or nearly so. The “male 
jealously guards his home, and his majestic appearance 
when roused inits defence is well known ; this graceful 
attitude with arched neck laid back, and secondary 
wing feathers raised, being, however, assumed at other 
times. 
The Mute Swan, as its name implies, is a very 
silent bird, uttering ordinarily only a nasal croak, or 
when angry, a hiss. 
The whole length of the bird is about 5 feet, and that 
of its closed wing (from knuckle to end of longest quills) 
about 2 feet. 
The Whooper or Wild Swan. 
Cygnus musicus, BLANFORD, Faun. Brit. Ind., 
Binds WV ol bv. pS 114 
VERNACULAR NAMES.—None known. 
The Whooper has no knob on the bill at any age ; 
when the bird is adult, this is black for about the tip 
half, the rest being bright yellow, which colour also 
extends to the bare skin of the face. 
In the young the beak is dull flesh-colour at first, with 
black edges and tip ; then, while the birds are still grey, 
the end becomes black, and the root and face greenish- 
white, with a reddish-orange band across the nostrils. 
