338 



LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



Swans are very shy, fly high, and are not easily brought down un- 

 less struck in some vital part. The flesh of the cygnet, or young 

 swan, is considered excellent. We have eaten of it frequently, but 

 cannot say that we have any great predilection in its favor. One 

 thing is certain, however: it is superior to the wild goose, but in- 

 ferior to the canvas-back. 



Swans are frequently and, we may say, easily domesticated ; 

 but they will not thrive save where they can pass most of their 

 time on the water. In such favorable situations for their mode 

 of life, they will breed and live for years contented and happy. 

 Swans, par excellence, are the most beautiful, most elegant, most 

 graceful, and most spotless of all fowl. Their plumage is perfectly 

 white. 



The Cygnus Americana is the species most commonly met with. 

 The other varieties are but seldom shot in these parts. Swans, like 

 the rest of the wild fowl, retire to the Far North in the early 

 spring. 



