378 VERTEBRATA. AVES. 



midable adversary when attacked ; and, when mater- 

 nal love has endowed her with a courage not her 

 own, the female Swan has been known to break a 

 man's leg with one blow of her wing. In the pairing 

 season the male will fight obstinately with any rival 

 daring enough to approach his retreat; and these 

 battles are conducted with such desperation that one 

 is generally destroyed. It attains a great age ; an in- 

 stance is on record, in which one was known to have 

 lived a hundred years. 



The Black Swan of New Holland (C. Plutonius), 

 a proverbial contradiction among the ancients, is 

 becoming quite common with us. It is much less 

 graceful in its manners than our native species. 



Anser,* the Goose. 



The Goose is too familiar with us to need much 

 description ; it is distinguished from the Swans by a 

 shorter neck, and a beak tapering towards the end ; 

 the cheeks are feathered. The legs are longer than 

 in the Ducks, and placed farther forward, so as to be 

 under the centre of gravity ; hence they walk with 

 greater ease, and with less of that awkward waddle 

 which characterizes the Ducks. 



Few birds contribute more to our service and 

 comfort than the tame Goose (A. Cinereus) : though 

 the leaden bullet has displaced the " clothyard shaft" 

 of our forefathers, together with 



" The gray goose-wing that was thereon ;" 

 * Its Latin name. 



