272 BRITISH BIRDS. 



their convenience, in some favourite part of a 

 lake or river which abounds with their food. 



The Swan is very properly entitled the peace- 

 ful Monarch of the Lake; conscious of his superior 

 strength, he fears no enemy, nor suffers any bird, 

 however powerful, to molest him; neither does he 

 prey upon any one. His vigorous wing is as a 

 shield against the attacks even of the Eagle, and 

 the blows from it are said to be so powerful as to 

 stun or kill the fiercest of his foes. The Wolf or 

 the Fox may surprise him in the dark, but their 

 efforts are vain in the day. His food consists of 

 the grasses and weeds, and the seeds and roots 

 of plants, which grow on the margins of the water, 

 and of the myriads of insects which skim over, or 

 float on its surface ; also occasionally of the slimy 

 inhabitants within its bosom. 



The female makes her nest of the withered 

 leaves and stalks of reeds and rushes, and lays 

 commonly six or seven thick-shelled white eggs : 

 she is said to sit upon them six weeks before 

 they are hatched. Both male and female are very 

 attentive to their young, and will suffer no enemy 

 to approach them. 



