WILD SWAN. 233 



authority that such things have been done, though I admit but very 

 rarely ; and they are every day less likely to occur, from the increased 

 number of shooters. 



SWAN, WILD, or HOOPER. Anas cygnus Le 

 cygne sauvage. 



If these are not two kinds of hoopers (besides the 

 newly discovered species of wild swan), there is, at all 

 events, a singular variety in the one, as will appear by 

 the following observations: In 1822 I killed three at a 

 shot one an adult male, and two young birds ; the 

 latter, not having attained their white plumage ; and in 

 all of these the space above the bill was bright yellow. 

 In 1829 I killed, at a shot, three more (besides wounding 

 a fourth that escaped wing-broken), and these, above 

 the bills, were all of a pale flesh colour, though one of 

 the three, brought home, was an old white bird. Shortly 

 after, I killed two more, an adult female with bright 

 yellow, and a young one with the pale colour. Thus it 

 appears that, whether male or female, young or old, some 

 have the yellow, and some the pale colour. Putting all 

 together, in 1828, 1829, and this year, I killed about 

 twenty more, and have occasionally observed this variety. 

 Again Mr. Leadbeater tells me that the Linnaean society 

 have discovered another distinct species, it being con- 

 siderably smaller, and internally different from the 

 common hooper ; and that there are not above four 

 stuffed specimens of it in Europe ; one of which he con- 

 gratulates me on having. On the strength of this event, 

 they have enlisted a W into the Latin language, and 

 christened the bird Cygnus Bewickii, Mr. Leadbeater 

 being sponsor for the correctness of the statement. 



Since writing the foregoing observations, I have been 

 favoured with the perusal of an admirable treatise, 



