preaching death, they sing more merrily in old age, when about to die, they do not 

 than before because of the joy they have forget their songs, though they are more 

 in going to the God they serve ; but men, feeble than in youth, because they can- 

 through fear of death, reproach the not so well erect their necks and expand 

 swans, saying that they lament their their wings. * * * 

 death and sing their grief in sorrowful "They are invited to sing by Favonius, 

 tones/ After digressing to assert that no and as their limbs become sluggish and 

 bird sings when either hungry or sorrow- their members deficient in strength when 

 ful, he resumes, 'Far less do the swans death approaches, they withdraw to some 

 sing out of grief, which, by reason of their place where no bird can hear them sing, 

 belonging to Apollo, are diviners, and and no other swans, impelled by the same 

 sing more joyfully on the day of their cause, may interrupt their requiem." 

 death than ever before, as foreseeing the While on the one hand Julius Scaliger 

 good that awaits them in the other vituperates Cardan for "lauding the non- 

 world.' " sense of the poets, and the mendacity of 



Charles de Kay wrote : "Not the mag- the Greeks about the singing of the 

 nificence merely, but the element of su- swan," Aldrovand cites on their behalf 

 perstitious reverence accounts for the fre- the testimony of one Frederico Pendasio, 

 quency of the swan as a crest and charge a celebrated professor of philosophy and 

 of coats of arms," stating that in heraldry a person worthy of credit, who told him 

 the swan runs back through heraldic de- that he had frequently heard swans sing- 

 vices to totemism, and that among the ing melodiously while he was sailing on 

 "oath-birds" which wizards of Lapland the Mantuan Lake ; also that one George 

 called upon in their incantations, the Braun had heard the swans near London 

 swan often figured. "sing festal songs." 



It is also asserted that German local Besides this, Mr. Rennie says, Olius 

 legends retain the idea of the swan as an Wormius professed that many of his 

 uncanny bird, prophetic of death or the friends and scholars had heard them sing- 

 under world, and that the Klagesee, or ing, and proceeded to give the experi- 

 Lake of Complaining, near Liban, was ence of one John Rostorph, a student in 

 so named from the numbers of musical divinity, and a Norwegian by nation, 

 swans that congregated there. "This man did, upon his credit, and with 



Pliny says, "Some affirm that swans the interposition of an oath, solemnly af- 



sing lamentably a little before death, but firm, that once in the territory of Dron- 



untruly, I suppose, for experience of ten, as he was standing on the seashore 



many has shown the contrary." But early in the morning, he heard an unusual 



Aristotle says, "'Swans are wont to sing, and sweet murmur, composed of the most 



particularly when about to die, and mar- pleasant whistlings and sounds ; he knew 



iners in African seas have observed many not at first whence they came, or how 



of them singing with a mournful voice, they were made, for he saw no man near 



and expiring with 'the notes of their dy- to produce them ; but looking round 



ing hymn." about him, and climbing to the top of a 



Cicero affirmed that Lucius Crassus certain promontory, he there espied an 

 spoke with the divine voice of a swan infinite number of swans gathered to- 

 about to die ; while Homer makes no al- gether in a bay, and making the most de 

 lusion to their singing, but mentions their lightful harmony a sweeter in all his 

 "flying round the springs of Cayster, life-time he had never heard." 

 clanging on sounding pinions." Oppian To this testimony Goldsmith appends 

 asserts, "They sing at dawn before the his personal opinion in the following 

 rising of the day as if to be heard more words : "Thus it appears that our mod- 

 clearly through the still air. They also ern authorities in favour of the singing of 

 sing on the sea-beach, unless prevented swans are rather suspicious, since they 

 by the sounds of storms and boisterous are reduced to this Mr. George Braun 

 weather, which would not permit them to anjl John Rostorph, the native of a coun- 

 enjoy the music of their own songs. Even try remarkable for ignorance and credul- 



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