Swan-shooting 259 



flocks and prefer the shallow waters of the lakes 

 and rivers, but occur also in the bays of the coast. 

 Although very rapid swimmers they do not dive, 

 feeding chiefly on water plants, which they tear 

 up from the bottom, reaching down their long 

 necks, sometimes tilting the body like a goose; 

 occasionally they eat shellfish. The flesh of the 

 adults is said to be tough and not palatable, that 

 of the young being far better. They migrate in 

 V-shaped flocks, frequently uttering loud trum- 

 peting. Their flight is strong, but an instance is 

 on record that a flock of whistling swans (Olor 

 columbianus) while migrating through western 

 Pennsylvania were overtaken by a storm of sleet, 

 and their feathers so loaded with ice that they 

 were forced to the ground and a number caught 

 alive. 



In breeding habits they resemble the geese. 

 Retiring to an island in some secluded lake or 

 the fastnesses of a marsh, they build a large nest 

 of sticks, leaves, and grass. The male guards the 

 female while she is sitting, attacking with great 

 courage whatever approaches the nest. Their 

 voice is clear and powerful, but the sweetness of 

 " the dying swan's refrain " must be considered 

 poetical license. 



Swans are frequently kept in captivity and 

 breed readily if they have surroundings to their 

 liking. The mute swan is the one most often 



