TAME CYGNETS 93 



too, or if a candle was lighted at night when it was 

 sleeping. 



It was quite obvious that its parents would kill 

 it by leading it up the steep bank which it could 

 not climb if it were given back to them. But when it 

 was shown to them safe and sound on the bank they 

 seemed so anxious to have it back that another larger 

 cygnet was fetched up from Brading Harbour in the 

 Isle of Wight, and after being kept with the little one 

 for a day to rest after its journey, was handed over to 

 the old swans. At first they made a great fuss over it, 

 adopted it, and swam about in a family way ; but 

 within half-an-hour afterwards the cock swan attacked 

 it and tried to drown it, running it down as a big 

 ship might a little one. So that bird also had to be 

 rescued, and for a day or two was kept with the baby 

 swan, which was about one-fifth of its size. It was 

 ridiculous to see the way in which the civilised infant 

 patronised it, showed it how to eat duck-meal out of 

 a soup-plate, and pecked it when it was not wanted. 

 Then the bigger cygnet was sent back to its father and 

 mother and four brothers and sisters in the Isle of 

 Wight, and for a week all went well. But a few days 

 later the father swan, tired perhaps of its stories of 

 London life, attacked the unfortunate cygnet ; which, 

 after living alone for some days up a ditch, was again 

 rescued and taken back to live as the humble follower 

 and admirer of its friend the foundling cygnet, in the 

 most happy circumstances, with a garden and pool all 

 to themselves. 



