ORIGIN OF THE STORY. 193 



sixty Hoopers were slow in rising ; so without pulling the other 

 trigger, I put on another cap, and standing up, fired right and 

 left at two of the largest Swans as they rose from the loch. The 

 cartridge told well on one, who fell dead into the water : the 

 other flew off after the rest of the flock, but presently turned 

 back, and after making two or three graceful sweeps over the 

 body of his companion, fell headlong, perfectly dead, almost upon 

 her body. The rest of the birds, after flying for a short distance 

 away, also returned, and flew for a minute or two in a confused 

 flock over the two dead Swans, uttering their bugle-like and 

 harmonious cries ; but finding that they were not joined by their 

 companions, presently fell into their usual single rank, and went 

 undulating off towards the sea, where I heard them for a long 

 time trumpeting and calling." 



Now it strikes us that in the incidents of this adventure we 

 have all the materials that are necessary to account for the ancient 

 story, and we have little doubt that it really did originate in 

 some such fashion. Eley's cartridge, swan-shot, and double 

 barrels are all modern inventions of course, but there were well- 

 feathered arrows and trusty bows even in Homeric times; and 

 sacred though the Swan was to Apollo, it no doubt often fell a 

 victim to " crack shots " thus primitively equipped. If this be 

 granted, and that the habits of the bird were the same then as 

 now, there is nothing more required. For what would be more 

 natural than that the affectionate solicitude of the birds for their 

 slaughtered companions, prompting them, regardless of their own 

 salety, to linger lovingly about the dead bodies, " uttering their 

 bugle-like and harmonious cries " the while, should strike the 

 attention, and be celebrated in song, and that the story once set 

 going should grow and grow, as stories always do, until at length 

 it assumed the shape in which we know it? It is thus that 

 stories of the kind commonly arise, and we see no reason to doubt 

 that such was the origin and history of the famous story of the 

 dying Swan's song. 



The Black Swan (Oygnus atratus) is an Australian bird, and 

 was first made known by the early navigators who visited that 

 insular continent in the south. Although it was first introduced 

 into England not more than sixty years ago, it has now become 

 BO thoroughly acclimatized and hardy, that it breeds with us even 

 more freely than the common Swan. lu 1858 a pair of these birds 



o 



