AVAxrn.K THi: swans oLOII. 



120 



ROViM'iil himi's. Ill till' Hilling tlii'Mi' bii-ilN a^iiiii itHHtMiililc iih t'lirlv us .Miinli, uinl 

 iifti'i' iiuiiiy pri'panitioiiH liy iticrHHiint wiisliiu^'s imhI ilii'HMin^.s, iiu'iiiiwliili' ilistiirltiiiK 

 till' iici^'lilHirli<ii>il with tlifir iioisf, tliry i|i'|iai't tur tin* iinrtli with ii ^'iiii'i'iil rhiiiinr 

 of uiiniiiMical Hi'i'i'iiiiiH. Ill thi- (!hi'.sa|M'iikr Ihcy ciilk'i't in thx ks ol trmii uiir to tivi> 

 liiiiiilri'tl i)U the HiitH nt'iir tlix wt'stnii nIiihi-h. t'loiii the mniitli ul' the Siisi|iii'haiiiiii 

 iiliiiost to thi> Wip Klips. Whfii ahiniii'il tliry Im>i'iiiiii> iiistiiiitly Hih'iit, anil tiii'y ih'priiil 

 iiiiirh mnrc on Hwiiiiiiiiii>,' than dii Hyiii},' tur cHVi'tinK' an I'smpf. Wlicii fVciiin^r, or 

 ihrs.siiif; tlii-ir ptuniaKc, this Swan is n.siiallv vciy mii.sy, ami at niKhl tlifsr I'lainors 

 iiiiiy Ik) hi'ui'il to tin- iliHtanco ot «i'V»'nil niili-s. Tlu-ir notes uii' vaiit'il, hdiiii- rcscm- 

 iiliiiK till' inwrr niii'M iiiaiii' liy the niiiiiiiuii till hoi'ii. iithcrs iiinniiiK' th^oll^'h tin- vaii- 

 (iiis ni(iiiiihitiiiiis of ihi' notos ut the rlarinct. 'I'lu'si' ilitVi'ii'in rs an' pirsimn'il to bu 

 ih'pfiiili'nt upon u^'c. 



In HliootiiiK at a HyiiiK Swan, Dr. Sharph'ss stati'H that thi' hill shoiihl Im' ainu'il ut, 

 or, il K"'"K \vith a hrt'czf, a lout lict'orc thr hill. A Swan ran rarely he kilhd iihIosh 

 .stnick in the neck, anil lar^^e masses of feathers may he shot away without imiiedinj^ 

 the hird'H proj,'ri'SH for a nioineiit. When woniiiletl in the win^,' only, these Swans 

 will reatlily heat off a (lo^,^ or even a man. They are sonietiiiies liidiinht within shoot- 

 ing ranj,'e hy sa^liii;,' down upon them while feeding,', as they rise to ilisailvaiitaj;"' 

 anainst the wiiiil. In winter, hy mt'iiiiH of white dresses anil lioiitH eovereil with iee, 

 sportsmen iiaihlle or float iiy nlKlit into the eentre of a Hoek, ami niimhers may thus 

 he killed liy hlows of a |ioIi'. 



This ripeeies admits of lieiii^,' tamed and iKutially domestieati'd. A pair helong- 

 iiij,' to till' ('(Miit'tury ut Milford. Mass.. were exhihited at the pmiltry show in lioston 

 ill J871. They were perfectly tame, permitted themselves to he toiiehed without 

 resi.stanee, and fed readily from the hands id entire straii<,'eis, 



Mr. MaeFarhine nientioiis this Swan as hreediiij,' in eonsiderahlc iiiiiiil)i'r.s in tlin 

 vii'inity of Fort Anderson. The i'^'f,'s were found from the middle of .liiiie to tho 

 last of .Inly, The nests were on the j,'ronnd, and K''"'''"dly lined with hay, or oeea- 

 sioiially with down and feathers. The maximum niimlier of e^'^'s was four. Other 

 ne.sts were Hocn on islands in Franklin ISay and in other portions of the Arctic Seu, 

 The ei,%'s taken in .Inly usually eontained emhryos. 



Aecordiii},' to .Mr. Dull, this .Swan is comnion all alon^' the Vukon, arriving,' with 

 tile (iccse about .May 1, but in a contrary direction, coniin},' down instead of j,'oin>,' up 

 the river, and breediiif,' in the great marshes near the nioutli of that river. The ef,%s 

 are usually on a tussock ipiite siirroumled with water, and .so near it that the female 

 sometimes sits with her feet in the water. The Indian name of the species i.s 

 •• Tolnvuli." At Xulato the ej,'KS are laid abnit May L'l. but later ut the mouth of the 

 ^■ukon. These iiirds moult in July, and cannot Hy ; at that time the Indians spear 

 them with bone tridents. They arc very shy. Mr. Uannister foiiinl them common at 

 St. Michael's. They flew in small Hocks of ten or twelve, in a sin.i,de line, udvancing 

 obliquely. 



Caiituin Hendire. in a letter written \ov. 14, 187I-, mentions the cajiture of birds 

 <d' this species on Lake Harney, in Eastern Oregon, where it was very numerous. 

 The stomach of one contained about twenty small shells, half an inch in length, 

 and identical in kind with shells common on tlie beach near Los Angeles, Cal., a 

 ipiantity of gravel, and a few black seeds. He found the meat excellent — much 

 superior to that of the Wild (roose. On the 18th of A]>ril, l.S7o, he wrote, mentioning 

 the arrival of a large Hock, all of this species, there not being a huvrhiator among 

 them. He afterward noticed them as being very common on the liorders of Lake 

 Malheur during the migrations, a few remaining until April 2-^. lu the L!"pi)er 



