124 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS. 



His plumes of fair white and arch'd neck to display. 

 While the Cygnets beside him appear'd in ash-grey. 



sisting of more than on liimdred and forty species ; it includes 

 not only the Swan, Goose, and Duck, but many other birds, 

 such as the Teal, Widgeon, EinER-DucK, &c. The charac- 

 teristics of the genus are, a broad bill, a broad tongue, and 

 palmate or webbed feet. It is a very prolific tribe ; some of the 

 species are found in almost every region of the globe. 



The Swan is found both in a tame and wild state. The 

 Tame Swan or Mute Swan, Cygnus (olor), is next to the bus- 

 tard, the largest of our British birds, being upwards of five feet 

 in length, much, however, of which consisting of a very long 

 neck ; it is distinguibhed by its hissing; its plumage till the se- 

 cond year is of an ash colour, after which it "becomes perfectly 

 white. The young are called cygnets. Eggs six or eight ; time 

 of incubation six weeks. 



The swan lives sometimes, it is said, a century, or even more; 

 it is a powerful animal, and will sometimes attack and beat 

 ycHng persons. The flesh is said to be wholesome ; but, at pre- 

 sent, the cygnet only is eaten. The tame swan is frequently seen 

 on the Thames, and, as an ornament, on many of the waters of 

 our noblemen and others in difi'erent parts of the country. 

 Several may be seen on the Serpentine in Hyde Park. It feeds 

 on various food ; it is generally reputed a great destroyer of the 

 young fry of fish ; it is also said to be extremely useful in clear- 

 ing pieces of water from weeds ; it will also eat bread and other 

 farinacea. 



The hen begins to lay in February, producing an egg every 

 other day. Male and female labour in the formation of the 

 nest, which consists of water plants, long grass, and sticks,^ ge- 

 nerally in some retired part or inlet of the bank of the water 

 on which they are kept. Swan's eggs are white and much lar- 

 ger than those of a goose.— It is extremely dangerous to be 

 approached during incubation. This bird is sometimes called 



