THE COMMON SWAN. 245 



THE COMMON SWAN. 



SYNONYMES. Cygnus olor, ofNaturalists ; Cygne commun, Cygne muet, 

 of the French ; Gemeiner Schwan, Stummer Schwan, of the Germans ; 

 Cisne comun, Cisne mudo, of the Spaniards ; Swan, Common Swan, 

 Mute Swan. Cob, (adult male,) Pen Bird, (adult female,) Cygnet, 

 (young.) of the English and Anglo-Americans. 



Those who wish to make themselves acquainted 

 with the habits and dispositions, as well as the mere 

 figures and descriptions of animals, should know that 

 all living creatures cannot be divided into two distinct 

 ranks of wild and tame, but that there is a most per- 

 plexing intermediate multitude, neither wild nor yet 

 tameable, but usually spoken of as " familiar," or 

 "half-domesticated," a term without meaning, dodg- 

 ing, like "squatters," on the ofFskirts of human, so- 

 ciety, but determined never to enlist in the drilled and 

 disciplined ranks, playing the game of " off and on," 

 but always ending with the " off." Such, among many 

 others, are the partridge, rats and mice, and at a still 

 greater distance, it is believed, is the whole genus of 

 swans. 



