BEWICK'S SWAN. 485 



on the east coasts of Scotland and England. The estuaries, fjords, lochs, 

 and inland lakes of the west provide it with tempting feeding-grounds, to 

 say nothing of the comparative freedom from the persecution which it 

 encounters in a more thickly populated country. The mystery lies in the 

 fact that Bewick's Swan should be found at all on our coasts. It has 

 never been found breeding in Iceland, Lapland, or Finland. Nine examples 

 only are recorded from Norway. It is very rare in the Baltic, which is 

 apparently only visited by a few stragglers from the delta of the Dvvina. 

 The Bewick's Swans breeding in the deltas of the Petchora, the Obb, 

 and the Yenesay arrive from the south, no doubt from the Caspian and 

 Japanese Seas. We are consequently driven to the conclusion that 

 the Swans which are known to breed in great numbers on the islands of 

 Nova Zembla and Kolguev, and the species of which have not yet been 

 determined, are Bewick's Swans, which migrate east in autumn, give 

 the shores of Norway a wide berth, and drop down to winter on the western 

 coasts of our islands. 



The first Swan which ventured as far north as the Arctic circle, in the 

 valley of the Yenesay, during the weary months when Capt. Wiggins and I 

 were waiting for the arrival of summer, was seen on the 5th of May. It 

 is probable, however, that this pioneer soon returned to the south, as we 

 saw nothing more of them for some weeks. On the 9th Geese began to 

 arrive, after the 16th in considerable numbers ; but we saw no more Swans 

 until the 28th, when many flocks passed over. During the next fortnight 

 hundreds of large and small flocks winged their way over our heads, after 

 which we saw no more of them until we got down to the delta. They are 

 quite as noisy as their allies, and are constantly calling to each other as 

 they fly over, but their notes are not so harsh. I call it a musical bark ; 

 Naumann expresses it as klung ; and Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey as tong, 

 " musical and quickly uttered." 



Bewick's Swan is quite as shy and difficult of approach as its ally ; but 

 there is not the slightest necessity to shoot the handsome bird in order to 

 identify the species. It is fond of walking and standing on the mud or 

 sand on the banks of the rivers aud lakes where it feeds. All that is 

 necessary is to mark down the place, find the heavy footprints and measure 

 them. The impress of the middle toe of Bewick's Swan from the centre of 

 the ball of the heel to the centre of the ball next the claw measures five 

 inches and a quarter ; the footprints left by the Hooper measure an inch 

 or more longer. 



Bewick's Swan scarcely differs from its ally in its habits, food, or in its 

 choice of feeding- or breeding-grounds. It probably breeds further north 

 and not so far south ; but there seems to be some doubt which species 

 Middendorff found on the Taimur peninsula. Our trusty Samoyade 

 servant in the Petchora brought us a Bewick's Swan which he had shot 



