THE TRUE SWANS. 249 



the lakes probably not producing the particular water-plants 

 which formed its favourite food, but it was very common on 

 the islands in the Delta, and was especially fond of the 

 ' Kourias,' long reaches of water running inland for some 

 little distance, and often fringed with willows. Most of the 

 islands in the Delta are under water for a few days, when the 

 river is at its height, but they are nevertheless generally covered 

 with low willow-trees, and very often, in the middle of an 

 island, there is a little lake. By cautiously stealing up to these 

 lakes, under cover of the willows, we frequently obtained the 

 most charming glimpses of happy families of Swans, and half 



dozen different species of Ducks, feeding in delightful 

 security. The Whooper is a ten times handsomer bird than a 

 tame Swan in the eyes of an ornithologist, but it is not really 

 so graceful ; its neck is shorter, and its scapulars are not so 

 plume-like. Instead of sailing about with its long neck curved 

 into the shape of the letter S and bent back almost to the 

 fluffed-up scapulars, the Whooper seemed intent on feeding 

 with his head and neck under water. At the slightest noise 

 the neck was raised erect, and the head turned round from side 

 to side, like a weathercock on a steeple. Even in July the 

 Whoopers were not always single or in pairs, and we frequently 

 saw half a dozen swimming together, or preening their feathers 

 on a sand-bank. We sometimes tried to drift silently down 

 stream within gun-shot of some of these small parties or herds, 

 as they are called in the technical language of the sportsman, 

 but they were too many for us, and rose with a tremendous 

 splash, their wings beating the water for twenty or thirty yards, 

 before they got sufficient way on, to be able to rise high 

 enough. When once on the wing, they flew with great speed, 

 with steady beats of their long powerful wings. 



" On migration the Whooper is a very gregarious bird, and by 

 far the greater number which passed us in the valley of the 

 Yenesei on the way north were in herds, which generally flew 

 in a wedge-shaped line ; they were soon out of sight, and some- 

 times passed over us at a great height. Many a time, when 

 struggling with snow-shoes on the treacherous half-melting 

 snow in the forest, I have heard their trumpet-calls, without 

 being able to catch a glimpse of them between the trees. The 

 notes of the Whooper are like the bass notes of a trombone, 



