158 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



the Islands, vaiying, however, in numhers in 

 different years : sometimes it is very numerous, and 

 affords good sport during the winter to the fisher- 

 men, who generally take a gun in the boat with 

 them as soon as the close season is over, sometimes 

 before. The flocks generally consist mostly of 

 young birds of the year ; the fully adult birds, 

 however, though fewer in number, are in sufficient 

 numbers to make a very fair show. 



Professor Ansted includes it in his list, but only 

 marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark ; 

 it is, however, quite as common about Herm and 

 Alderney. There is no specimen at present in the 

 Museum. 



187. MUTE SWAN. Cygnus olor, Linnaeus. 

 French, " Cygne tubercule." I do not believe this 

 bird has ever visited the Channel Islands in a 

 thoroughly wild state, though it is pretty widely 

 spread over Europe ; its range, however, being 

 generally more to the east than the Channel 

 Islands. Mr. Couch, however, at page 4939 of the 

 ' Zoologist ' for 1874, records the occurrence of two 

 Mute Swans on the 7th of September at the Braye 

 Pond, where they were shot. He also says that 

 " five others passed over the Island the same day ; 

 they were flying low, and, judging from their colour, 

 were young birds." As no one in the Islands keeps 

 Swans, these were most probably a family party 



