55 2 The Water-fowl Family 



in the water and not at all given to allowing sight- 

 ing shots. He is, however, given to nervousness 

 that may affect his wings about the time you raise 

 the rifle. He is quite solitary in his habits, has 

 nothing to do with geese or ducks, comes late and 

 goes north early, and thousands of sportsmen have 

 never even seen the swan. 



With most people who hunt water-fowl it is the 

 height of ambition to kill a swan the stupidest 

 ambition one can have. I recovered early ; never 

 shot but two, and may Heaven forgive me for that. 

 Too tough and dry to eat, there is no excuse for 

 murdering such a rare and beautiful bird simply 

 because it is big. It is worth a thousand times 

 more in air than in the bag, for, contrary to popu- 

 lar impression, it is an elegant flyer. Not one in 

 a hundred seeing it in full career, even at short 

 range, would suspect what it is. Its great size 

 diminishes in lines of perfect grace, the long neck 

 is drawn in without any awkward curves, every- 

 thing is in perfect proportion ; and, cleaving the 

 air at a pace few of the ducks can surpass, its 

 speed helps out the proportion while the harmony 

 of the whole is well maintained by a stroke of wing 

 so rapid that the stranger is apt to take it for some 

 albino duck. While pure game in all its ways, and 

 deemed by all a legitimate game-bird, the swan 

 should nevertheless be placed upon the list of harm- 

 less and beautiful birds that no one should kill. 



