THAMES SWANS. 91 



it requires a great stretch of imagination to find any 

 picturesqueness in their appearance or their surroundings 

 when once they have got below Lambeth. As a rule, 

 Swans come down the river generally in winter and in 

 pairs. If the weather is severe they stay for weeks 

 between Westminster and London Bridges, feeding in 

 the shallows and near the warehouses on the " Surrey 

 side." They are seldom seen near the embankments or 

 in mid-stream. Should their stay be prolonged, their 

 white plumage soon becomes grimy and stained. Many 

 a Londoner is apt to view them with curiosity, and 

 singularly enough they are little molested by the river 

 population. These wandering Swans, however, do not 

 always escape, and birds bearing the royal mark are 

 occasionally to be seen hanging for sale in the game- 

 dealers' shops ! 



