412 THE FARMER AT HOME. 



of two varieties, the wild and the tame swan ; the former has a loud 

 cry, which may be heard at a great distance, but the latter seldom 

 emits any sound. The wild swan is smaller by about one-fourth than 

 the tame kind, and also of a different color, its back and the tips of 

 its wings being ash-colored ; while the tame swan is remarkable for 

 the delicate and uniform whiteness of its whole plumage. In Cum- 

 berland county, in New Holland, black swans are very common, and 

 three of the species were in 1806 exhibited at Exeter 'Change, 

 London. 



SWAN. 



The wild swan is a native of the arctic regions, and visits more 

 temperate climates only when compelled by the severity of the cold. 

 During the summer season they frequent the lakes of Lapland, in 

 common with the numerous flocks of other aquatic fowl ; there it also 

 breeds and rears its young. Of the tame swan, any minute descrip- 

 tion is unnecessary ; to give some idea of its size, it is sufficient to say, 

 that it grows to the w r eight of upwards of twenty pounds. Its majes- 

 tic appearance has been already noticed ; and it is not less remarkable 

 for the delicacy of its appetite than the elegance of its form ; its food 

 consists of corn, with herbs and roots that grow in the water, or are 

 found near the margin. 



SWEET POTATO. This plant is a native of the East Indies, 

 but is now cultivated in all the warmer parts of the globe, and has 

 produced numerous varieties. Formerly the roots were imported into 

 England from the West Indies by the way of Spain, and sold as a 



