302 THE SWAN. 



wing, and I have often seen large masses of feathers torn 

 from them, without for an instant impeding their 

 progress. 



When wounded in the wing alone, a large Swan will 

 readily beat off a dog, and is more than a match for a 

 man in. four feet water, a stroke of the wing having broken 

 an arm, and the powerful feet almost obliterating the face 

 of a good sized duck shooter. They are often killed by 

 rifle balls thrown from the shore into the feeding column, 

 and as a ball will ricochet on the water for several hundred 

 yards, a wing may be disabled at the distance of half a 

 mile. 



These birds are often brought within shooting fange, by 

 sailing down upon them whilst feeding, and, as they arise 

 against the wind, and cannot leave the water for fifteen or 

 twenty yards, against which they strike their enormous 

 feet and wings most furiously, great advantage is gained 

 in distance. They must be allowed on all occasions 

 to turn the side, for a breast shot rarely succeeds in 

 entering. 



When two feeding coves are separated by a single point, 

 by disturbing the Swans in one or the other occasionally, 

 they will pass and repass very closely to this projection of 

 land, and usually taking as they do, the straight line, 

 each gunner to prevent dispute, names the bird he will 

 shoot at. 



In winter, boats covered by pieces of ice, the sportman 

 being dressed in white, are paddled or allowed to float 

 during the night, into the midst of a flock, and they have 

 been oftentimes killed, by being knocked on the head and 

 neck by a pole. There is, however, much danger in this 

 mode, as others may be engaged in like manner, but shoot- 

 ing, and at a short distance, the persons might not be dis- 

 tinguished from the Swan. These birds seem well aware 

 of the range of a .gun, and I have followed them in a skiff* 

 for miles, driving a bodv of several hundreds before me. 





