82 ANATID^ 



musical sound as that of the Whooper ; it is a rather loud, 

 sonorous or barking noise, syllabled tong -tong -bong -hong - 

 ong-ongong. 



Food. The food consists chiefly of water-plants. 



Nest. The situation and materials of the nest resemble 

 those of the preceding bird, but the structure is smaller. In 

 his book 'Icebound on Kolguev,' p. 43, Mr. Trevor-Battye 

 describes the nest as a structure raised two and a half feet 

 above the ground like a mound. It is perfectly smooth on 

 the outside and tapers to the top, which is circular and about 

 two feet in diameter. Mr. Battye found it to be composed 

 of bunches of moss, lichen and dry grass. It was lined 

 with dead grass and a little down and contained three eggs, 

 smaller and whiter than those of the Whooper. 



The eggs are of a- pale cream colour. Incubation begins 

 about May. 



Geographical distribution. Bewick's Swan breeds in 

 Arctic Europe and Asia, including many of the islands of 

 the Arctic Sea ; its distribution does not extend as far west 

 as that of the Whooper. The eggs have been taken by 

 Mr. Harvie-Brown and the late Mr. Seebohm on the Pet- 

 chora, and by Mr. Trevor-Battye on the island of Kolguev ; 

 this Swan breeds also on the Yenesei and in Novaya-Zemlya. 

 On migration in winter it is found over the European and 

 Asiatic Continents as far east as Japan. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Pure white. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male in plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



Immature, male and female. Brownish. 



BEAK. Base, orange, this colour terminating behind the 

 nostrils ; rest of beak, black. 



FEET. Black. 



IEIDES. Dark brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... 50 in. 



WING 21 



BEAK ... 3'5 



TARSO-METATARSUS 4'75 ,, 



EGG 3-9 X 2'6 in. 



