TRUMPETER SWAN. 



T^HIS splendid bird differs from the American or 

 Whistling Swan in its larger size, absence of yellow 

 near the eye, and the peculiar arrangement of the wind- 

 pipe. It is found in the interior of North America and on 

 the Pacific coast, but never appears on the shores of the 

 Atlantic unless as a straggler. It breeds on the islands 

 and in the low reedy grounds around Hudson Bay, also 

 in the Barren Grounds near the Arctic coast, and in the 

 interior probably on both sides of the mountains, but 

 is not known to breed in Alaska. A single speci- 

 men was procured by Dall at Fort Yukon, which is the 

 only record given of its appearance in the Territory. In 

 the United States, the Trumpeter *in the interior, winters 

 from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, and breeds from 

 Iowa and Minnesota northward. The nest of this species 

 is a large structure composed of grass, leaves, down, and 

 feathers, and is placed usually on elevated ground. The 

 eggs, which are a uniform chalky white with a granulated 

 surface, are quite large, from four to four and a half 

 inches long, and two and a half to three in breadth. 

 From five to seven is the complement, and the young are 

 hatched in July, and are led by the parents to the fresh- 

 water ponds and lakes in the vicinity. In August the 

 adults moult and are then for a time unable to fly, and 

 about the beginning of September the birds commence 

 to journey southward, and are among the first of the 



