Till: T\ i//. <>/; MI TS SWA If. 597 



'I'm Hi cMcije Goo8K(/ltrftfcfofai0qp*fe)b occasionally f,,nn.l on our coast Aspect- 



men in tin- Ani.-ii. an MIISI-IUII of Natural llistoi \ . in t .-nir.il 1'ark. des, -nlx-.l |i\ \h Liwrenre, 

 came from tin- North ( 'an .lina OOast 



Tin KMM i:..i: ., l't< ilacU canayica). This species is a haadsome one, and inhabits 



tli>- northwest coast of Ni>nli \IH.-II.M 



Tin. Hi.\.k niiiiKD TRKK DUCK (Dendroeygna antumnalit). This unfamiliar form 

 inhabits Central and South America, and Southwestern United States. It is a slender (.odied 

 l-ii.l. and seems t<> U- ai lioin i tn-e* as well ILS els. 



Another s]-cies is Fulvous Tree Duck (/>./M/NI), which inhabits Central and South 

 Atni-rii-a. and readies north as far HM Arizona mill California. 



TIIK U-autifal Swans now rome before our noti.-.-. There are nine or ten species of 



tin-- 1-it.ls. which are well represented in Km-o|- 



Our most familiar species IB the TAMI --i Mi n: S\v.\\. so called from its silent habits. 

 This elegant and graceful bird lias long \**-\i partialh domesticated throughout Kun>|>e, uid 

 n joys legJil jnot.-. lion to a great xti-nt ; ln-a\\ iMMuilti.-s In-in^ |.riM-lainn-i| a-ain-i any 

 on.- who kills a Swun without a li-pil ri^'lit. Tin- San is |in-suni.-d to IH- a n>\al bird, i.e. the 

 projH'rty of tin- Ci-o\\ii. and only to be pOMMBe<l l>\ a xchj.H-t undi-r a sjxn-ial ^nint. To t-jich 

 li. .!!-. Tii'i> _IMH:.- ! was attai-hf| a "swan mark," which was i-ul on thr n|.|-.-i- m.mdil.l.- 

 of tin- 1-inls, in onlt-r to show th- ri^ht of the OWIUT. Swans of a certain ap\ not inarU.-d. 

 become Crown ]>roi*'rt\. i-M'-pt in som.- in-tan..- \\licn arrant conveys the ri^lit to !/> and 

 ke'p any ailnlt Swan which has not Ix-en inaike<l. The marks" are of endlo-, variety, 

 jwrtly henililic. and <ontri\e<l so as to ].ain the hinl as little as jxwsihle. The jin-s^-nt nival 

 mark consists of live diamond^, with nninde*! an^li-. I\M> cut longitudinally at th IKIX- of tin- 

 U-ak, and the other three traic-vei-selv towards the tip. The mark jjrant-d to the I'niversitv 

 of Oxford is a cross v\ith equal arms. i*n-h arm Ix-ini: aipiin cros^il nesir it.s extremity, and 

 that of Cambridge is three Imckles. one large in the middle of the l-ak, with the point towanls 

 the head, and the other two smaller at the tip, with their tongues jMiintiiig in ditfen-nt 

 directions. 



The marking of the Swans i> t.-rmed Swan-lipping, a name which has lM-en corrupt^] into 

 Swan-hopping, and is conducted with much r-eremony. The te-hni<-al term of the Swan-murk 

 is cigninota. Swaii-uppinir. an old custom at Kuro]-aii Court.s, takes place in the month 

 of August, the first Monday in the month !>eing s-t a-ide for the purjx>se, when the markers 

 of the Crown take count of all Swans in the river, and mark the clear Killed liirds which have 

 rvached maturity. The fishermen who protect the Kirds and aid them in nesting an- 

 entitli-d to a fee for each young binl. The general mark is n notch on the one side of the beak. 



The food of the Swan consists imtly of vegetaMe sulistaures, and the hinl can !* readily 

 fattened on larley, like ordinary jMniltry. The young l.inls. rjille<l cygnets, ought not to be 

 killed after NovemlN-r, as they then lose their fat, and the flesh becomes dark and tough. 

 Sometimes the Swan will feed upon animal food, and has IH..-H ^,-,-\\ to cat-h and swallow 

 small fish, such as bleak and roach. In the spawning season the Swan is a terriMe enemy 

 to the tish. haunting all the spawning-grounds, and swallowing the egg* till it ran eat no 

 longer. The Swan will find out the spawn as it hanirs mi the submerged l-nincln-s. and strip 

 them of their valuable load. They will follow the carp to their breeding-grounds, and swallow 

 their eggs by the quart, ami in many rases they have almost entirely de-troy-d the tish which 

 inhabit.il the jx>n<l or stream in which they live. 



A good idea of the damage done to anglers by the Swan may tie formed from a forcible 

 though unrefined description given by one of the piscatorial fraternity : "There never was no 

 manner of doubt about the dn-ad fill mischief the Swans do. They eate up the sjmwn of every 

 kind of tish till they have filled out their liaux. and then on to shore t hey goes, to sleep off 

 th.-ir tuck out. and then at it a^iin." At such times the birds ai>- so irreedy after their feast 

 that they ran hardly be diiv.-n away, and will often show tight rather than leave the spot 



