428 



LAMKI.IJIIOSTKAL SWIMMKUrt - ANSKIlKS. 



]H)iit'il to livo to a great iigis luid its Ht>Hli Inm-oiiu'h <'xcc>t>iliiigly toiiKl> mid tiiHtt'li'MR. 

 Ill coiiHcriiUMifc (if this, tin' iiKHi' fX|M'rii'ii( I'll liuiitfiH of tlit' ('licHa|H-ak*' UHiutlly 

 allow tli<> |iati'iai'i-lis ol tlif tlnck, who h'ail in tlicir tlight, to pass iiiiliariiinl, 'rhcHc 

 ohl IcadiTs hav<- a note llioii^'ht to rcsriulih' in a rcniaikalilc ih-^ict' thi> hoiiiuI of a 

 coniinon tin lioin; and tlu* unntuHiunl i-liamctt'r of their crii-N increaHCH in intniHity 

 with tiifir aK"'. 



In the autumn of ISl".) the writer vas, with another person, on Ahhy Islam), whrii 

 seven Swans were apjiroaehinn the I'oiiit in one line, and three others were a short 

 distance iH-hiud them. The Hmall k>'<»M* endeavored to pass the luri^er, an<l as they 

 doubled the i'oint, at about sixty yards' distance, the three formed \\i;h the sccdnij 

 birils of the larger tlock a s([uaru of less than three feet. .\t this moment both kuii-> 

 weru dischar^'ed and threo HwauH weru kiUed, luid the fourth so much injured tlmi 

 it left the tiock. These woro all less than five yeiirH old, and avera^'ed eiKhlecn 

 pounds in wei^dit. 



These .Swans rarely, if ever, leav** the open shorea of the bay for the Hide streams, 

 and few, after their regular settlement, are found above Spesutie Islaml; but they 

 are seen in flocks, varying from lifty to five hundred in number, along the western 

 shores as far down aH the mouth of the I'otomai'. Since tlu'se observations were 

 made, however, the number of thestt birds I'reijuenting that region has been greatly 

 redm'e<l. 



During a still night a few Swans could often be .seen asleep in the mithlle of the 

 bay, surroiincU'd by a group of far more watchful (leese; and the writer from whose 

 account this information is derived was paddh-d, one morning at daybreak, within 

 ten feet of a sleeping Swan. The food to which this Itird seems to be most partial 

 on the Chesapeake is the eanva.ss-back grass, wtu'ms, in.sects, and small shelllish. It 

 rarely actually flies, even when pursued by a boat, unless very closely followed; and 

 when it does ri.se, it i.s generally with a scream. On alighting in the water, particu- 

 larly if an> other birds of the same species are near, there is usually an interchange 

 of noisy greetings. Even when one of the wings ut this bird has been broken, it can 

 .swim with great rapidity, and if not otherwi.so hurt a single oarsman is rarely able to 

 overtake it. 



Dr. Sharpless, of riiiladelpliia, stiites that he has known unwounded birds to 

 collect around a cripjdcd eomi)anion and urge it to escape, pushing it forward ami 

 placing themselves on each side, sui)porting the broken wing, and abuost lifting the 

 object of their affectionate care out of the water. The same writer — probably also 

 the author of the article referred to as having ap])earcd in " Doughty's Cabinet" — 

 furnished Mr. Audubon with a full account of the habits of this species, as observed 

 by him in winter, in the waters of the Chesapeake. lie states that in its migratiiuis 

 southward it collects in flocks of twenty ov thirty, and moves only when the wind 

 is not op))osed to the direction of its flight. It mounts high in the air, forms an 

 elongated wedge, and utters loud screams as it departs, these cries being oecasionall\ 

 repeated as the bird moves on its wny. AVhen flying, tlu? wings seem almost without 

 movement, and their sweej) is very unlike the semicircidar movements of Ui'ese. Dr. 

 Sharpless estimates that this bird travels at the rate of at least a hinulred miles an 

 hour when at a high elevation and with a moderate wind in its favor. Its flight is 

 estimated to be twice as rapid as that of the Wild Goose. 



In travelling from its summer abode to its winter residence, this bird keeps far 

 inland, mounted above the highest peaks of the Alleghany, and rarely follows tin 

 watercourses. It usually arrives at its regular feeding-grounds at night, and signal 

 izes its coming by loud and vociferous screaming, with which the shores ring for 



