362 THE WHISTLING SWAN. 



Western isles, and continue till March, when they return north-* 

 ward to breed, A few continue in Mainland, one of the Ork- 

 neys, and breed in the little islands of the fresh-water lochs ; but 

 the principal part of them retire at the approach of spring. 

 They are called the countryman's almanack ; for their quitting 

 the isle is said to presage good weather, and their arrival the re- 

 verse. 



In Iceland, these birds are an object of chase. In the month 

 of August they lose their feathers to such a degree as not to be 

 able to fly* The natives, at that season, resort in great num- 

 bers to the places where they most abound ; and are accom- 

 panied with dogs, and active and strong horses, trained to the 

 sport, and capable of passing nimbly over the boggy soil and 

 raarshes. The swans will run as fast as a tolerably fleet horse. 

 The greater number are taken by the dogs ; which are taught 

 _to seize them by the neck a mode of attack that causes them 

 to lose their balance, and become an easy prey. 



Notwithstanding their size, these birds are so extremely swift 

 on the wing, when in full feather, as to make them more diffi- 

 cult to shoot than almost any other ; it being frequently neces- 

 sary to aim ten or twelve feet before their bills. This, however, 

 is only when they are flying before the wind in a brisk gale ; at 

 which time they seldom proceed at the rate of less than one 

 hundred miles an hour: but when flying across the wind or 

 against it, they are not able to make any great progress; 



This species has several distinctions from that called by us the 

 tame swan : but the most remarkable one is, the strange form 

 of the windpipe ; which falls into the chest, then turns back like 

 a trumpet, and afterwards makes a second bend to join the lungs. 

 By this curious construction, the bird is enabled to utter a loud 

 and shrill note. The other swan, on the contrary, is the most 

 silent of all the feathered tribes ; it can do nothing more than 

 hiss, which it does on receiving any provocation* The vocal 



