MUTE SWAN. 207 



ance upon the female, occasionally taking her place upon 

 the eggs, or guarding her with jealous care, giving chase 

 and battle, if necessary, to every intruder. So fierce and 

 determined are they at this time that two instances have 

 occurred in which Black Swans, though but little inferior 

 to themselves in size, have been killed by White Swans ; 

 one of these occurrences which took place in the Regent's 

 Park, is thus related. " The two White Swans pursued 

 the Black one with the greatest ferocity, and one of them 

 succeeded in grasping the black one's neck between its 

 mandibles, and then shook it violently. The Black Swan 

 with difficulty extricated itself from this murderous grasp, 

 hurried on shore, tottered from the water's edge a few 

 paces, and fell, to die. Its death appeared to be attended 

 with great agony ; it stretched its neck in the air, fluttered 

 its wings, and attempted to rise from the ground : after 

 about five minutes of suffering it made a last effort to rise, 

 and fell dead with outstretched neck and wings. Its foes 

 never left the water in pursuit, but continued sailing with 

 every feather on end, up and down towards the spot where 

 their victim fell, and seemingly proud of their conquest." 



The triumph, however, is not always on the side of the 

 White Swan. At Castle Martyr, the seat of Lord Shan- 

 non, near the Cove of Cork, a male Black Swan, as I 

 learned from Admiral Bowles, attacked and killed the male 

 of a pair of Mute Swans, took possession of the female in 

 right of conquest, and one cygnet was produced. The 

 Mute Swan has also bred with the Polish Swan, (C. immu- 

 tabilis,) on the waters of the Dublin Zoological Society in 

 the Phoenix Park. 



I am indebted to the kindness of Lord Braybrooke for 

 the following account of a female Swan, on the river at 

 Bishop's Stortford. This Swan was eighteen or nineteen 



