THE MUTE SWAN AND THE HOOPER. 469 



The name of the Bernicle Goose is given to this bird because the 

 olden voyagers thought that it was produced fKom the common barna- 

 cle shell, and this notion had taken so strong' a hold of their minds 

 that they published several engravings representing the bird in various 

 stages of its transformation. 



The Bernicle Goose generally assembles in large flocks and haunts 

 large salt-marshes near the coast, and feeds on grasses and various algse. 

 It is a very wary bird, and not easily approached. The eggs of this 

 species are large and white. The flesh is considered good. The bill 

 of the Bernicle Goose is black, with a reddish streak on each side. The 

 cheeks and throat are white, a black streak runs from the beak to the 

 eye, the upper parts are bold and marked with black and white, and 

 the lower parts are white. It is a rather small bird, the total length 

 barely exceeding two feet. 



The beautiful Swans now come before our notice. There are 

 nine or ten species of these fine birds, which are well represented 

 in the British Isles, four species being acknowledged as English 

 birds. 



Our most familiar species is the Tame, or Mute Swan, so called 

 from its silent habits. This elegant and graceful bird has long been 

 partially domesticated throughout England, and enjoys legal protection 

 to a great extent, heavy penalties being proclaimed against any one 

 who kills a Swan without a legal rigltt. 



The food of the Swan consists mostly of vegetable substances, and 

 the bird can readily be fattened on barley, like ordinary poultry. The 

 young birds, called cygnets, ought not to be killed after November, as 

 they then lose their fat and the flesh becomes dark and tough. 



The nest of the Swan is a very large mass of reeds, rushes, and 

 grasses set upon the bank, close to the water, in some sheltered spot. 

 Generally the bird prefers the shore of a little island as a resting-place 

 for its nest. Like other water-birds, the Swan will raise the nest by 

 adding fresh material before the rising of the water near which it is 

 placed. There are generally six or seven eggs, large, and of a dull 

 greenish white. The young are of a light bluish gray color, and do not 

 assume the beautiful white plumage until maturity. 



The mother is very watchful over her nest and young, and in com= 

 pany with her mate assaults any intruder upon the premises. During 

 the first period of their life the young Swans mount on their mother's 

 back, and are thus carried from one place to another. If in the water, 

 the Swan is able to sink herself so low that the young can scramble 

 upon her back out of the water ; and if on land, she helps them up by 

 means of one leg. 



The Hooper, Elk Sw^an, or Whistling Swan may at once be dis- 

 tinguished from the preceding species by the shape and color of the 



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