SWANS 215 



coasts. It differs from any of the preceding in having the forehead, sides of 

 the head, throat and chin white, the lores being black. 



The FULVOUS TREE-DUCK (178. Dendrocygna bicolor) of the South- 

 western United States and southward, is accidental in North Carolina. 



Subfamily Cygnince. Swans. 



A group containing eight species distributed throughout the world. 

 Swans feed from the surface, either by 'tipping' or by simply immersing 

 the long neck and head. Their food consists largely of vegetable matter, 

 but they eat also small mollusks. They migrate in V-shaped flocks. 

 When on the wing, and also when feeding, they utter at times loud, 

 trumpeting notes. When pursued, they do not at once take flight, but 

 swirn rapidly away, and in this manner easily distance a strong rower. 

 The sexes are alike in color and both share in the task of incubation 

 and care of the young. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



A. With yellow on the lores; distance from the eye to the nostril greater than 



the distance from the nostril to the tip of the bill. 



180. WHISTLING SWAN. 



B. No yellow on the lores; distance from the eye to the nostril not greater 



than from the nostril to the end of the bill . . 181. TRUMPETER SWAN. 



180. Olor columbianus (Ord). WHISTLING SWAN. Ads. White; 

 bill and feet black; a small yellow spot on the lores] tail usually with but 

 20 feathers. Im. Head and neck brownish and rest of plumage more or 

 less washed with grayish; bill and feet light. L., 55'00; W., 22'00; Tar., 4'00; 

 Eye to N., 2'40; N. to tip of B., 2'25. 



Remarks. Few unquestionably distinct species of birds resemble each 

 other more closely, superficially, than do the Whistling and Trumpeter 

 Swans. In freshly killed specimens, at least in the spring, the yellow on the 

 bill of the former and red on the bill of the latter is wholly and sufficiently 

 diagnostic. Lacking these characters, which are always wanting in old, 

 dried skins, the birds can be distinguished by the larger size of buccinator 

 in connection with the fact that its nostrils are nearer the center of the bill 

 than in columbianus (which has them nearer the tip) while buccinator usually 

 has 24, instead of the 20 tail-feathers of columbianus. 



Range. N. A. Breeds from n. Alaska s. to Becharof Lake, Alaska 

 Peninsula, and on Arctic islands from about lat. 74 s. to n. Mackenzie and 

 nw. Hudson Bay; in migration occurs w. to Bering Islands; winters on the 

 Pacific coast from s. B. C., rarely s. to s. Calif., and in the interior from Lake 

 Erie and s. Ills, to coast of La. and Tex., and on Atlantic coast from Del. 

 and Md. to S. C., rarely n. to Mass., and s. to Fla.; casual in n. Mex.; 

 accidental in Scotland and Bermuda. 



Washington, rare W. V., Oct. 15-Mch. 25. Long Island, rare T. V. 

 Cambridge, A. V. in fall. N. Ohio, occasional T. V., Mch., early Apl. SE. 

 Minn., T. V., Apl. 12. 



Nest, of grasses, moss, etc., lined with down, on the ground near water. 

 Eggs, 2-5, soiled whitish, 4'25 x 2'70. Date, St. Michael's, Alaska, May 29. 



This is a rare bird on the Atlantic coast north of Virginia. In the 

 Currituck region, thanks to its excessive wariness, it is not uncommon 

 in winter. "When feeding, or dressing their plumage, this Swan is 

 usually very noisy, and at night their clamors may be heard to the 



