THAMES SWANS. 



living on the Thames belong to the Queen. The royal 

 Swan-mark (three diamond-shaped horizontal slits below 

 two vertical ones) has been in use from the time of 

 George the Third, up to August 1878, when the three 

 lower diamonds were struck out. At the present time, 

 between Southwark Bridge and Henley, the Queen 

 claims upwards of two hundred Swans and Cygnets, the 

 Vintners' Company upwards of sixty, and the Dyers' 

 Company about fifty. So that the birds Londoners may 

 see quietly swimming on the muddy river, in and out 

 amongst barges and steam-tugs, are by no means owner- 

 less, and, were we to get near enough to examine their 

 bills we could easily satisfy ourselves as to their pro- 

 prietorship. Swan " upping," as the catching and 

 marking of the birds is called, is exciting sport. The 

 Cygnets are marked the same as their parents ; but if 

 the old birds do not bear a mark the whole family may, 

 by ancient custom, be seized and marked for the 

 Crown. The birds are pursued in boats and caught 

 with a long hooked rod, which is adroitly placed round 

 their neck. A Swan is a powerful bird to grapple with, 

 and a blow from its mighty wing is no joke. Great is the 

 struggling and splashing before the big birds are caught 

 and overpowered and finally mastered. Should a Swan 

 make her nest on the banks of the river instead of on 

 the islands, a royalty is still paid to the owner of the 

 ground for protecting the nest, though formerly he 



