198 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XIV. 



minutes they were exactly over my head, at a good 

 height, but still within shot, flying with their long 

 necks stretched straight out and their black feet 

 tucked up, but plainly visible as they passed over 

 me. I stood up and took a deliberate aim at the 

 largest of them as he ascended higher into the air 

 at my unexpected appearance. The first barrel 

 seemed to have little effect on him, though I dis- 

 tinctly heard the shot rattle on his strong quills ; 

 the second, however, which was loaded with larger 

 shot, was more effective: whilst his two companions 

 continued crying to each other, he remained silent. 

 However, he kept up with the rest, and they all 

 went off towards the bay. In the meantime three 

 smaller swans came within twenty yards of me or 

 less, trumpeting and calling loudly. 



With the glass I watched the bird I had fired at, 

 as I knew he was hard hit. He still, however, held 

 his way with the rest, and they were gradually 

 getting indistinct, when I suddenly saw him rise 

 straight up into the air, his snowy plumage shining 

 as it caught the rays of the sun. I saw him a 

 second time rise perpendicularly to a great height; 

 he then suddenly turned backwards in the air and 

 tumbled headlong to the ground perfectly dead. 

 He was above half a mile or more from me, in the 

 direction of the bay, and the whole intervening 



