CHAP, xxiv.] WOUNDED WILD SWANS. 197 



towards the line of flight taken by the rest of the flock. The 

 winged bird, after swimming about uneasily for a short time, 

 seeing no enemy at hand, and finding that her companions did 

 not return, went to the edge of the water, and having taken 

 a careful survey of the country around, scrambled out, and com- 

 menced a journey after them on terra firnui. I allowed her to 

 walk to some distance from the loch, and then running up, cut her 

 off from returning to it. As soon as she saw me she made over 

 a hillock in their line of flight ; I ran up, and not seeing her, 

 tracked her a little way in the sand, and presently found her 

 lying stretched out flat on the ground amongst some long grass, 

 endeavouring to hide herself. When she found that I had dis- 

 covered her she again made off, but was soon caught. 



I mention this for the benefit of any one who may be in the 

 predicament of having winged a swan on a lake, as this bird, if 

 left alone and not seeing an enemy, will invariably make for the 

 bank, and most probably leave the water to follow in the track 

 of her companions if they have gone to any adjoining water. 



Though, as I have said, not so graceful in the water as their 

 tame relatives, nothing can be more splendid than the flight of a 

 flock of wild swans, as they pass over your head with their trans- 

 parently white pinions, and uttering their far-sounding and 

 musical trumpeting, which is often heard before the birds come 

 into sight. 



I never ate a wild swan, but am told that their flesh, though 

 dark coloured, has not the least rank taste, like that of some 

 water- fowl, but, on the contrary, is very palatable, and worthy 

 of being cooked. From their food, which consists wholly of 

 flavourless grasses, I can easily suppose that they may be as 

 good, if not better eating than the mallard or any other kind of 

 wild duck, who all, more or less, feed on rank weeds, as well as 

 on worms and a variety of other unclean food. 



