OCCASIONAL NOTES. 139 
its note. Their favourite place for exercising this is on a moderate-sized 
stone, where they will stand and whistle for many minutes ata time. I need 
not describe either the bird or its eggs, as they have so often been treated of. 
I would only advise those who wish to see it to visit the collection of the 
late Dr. Plomley, which is admirably arranged and preserved in the Museum 
at Dover.—H. A. Dompratn (Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, Kent). 
Bewicx’s Swan 1n Norrorx.—On the 18th February I was marking 
trees at Hempstead, in Norfolk, where there are some large ponds, one of 
which is known as the “ Old Decoy,” which is strictly preserved, and where 
during the past autumn there has been an average of sixty or seventy Wild 
Ducks. The Ducks were all gone, as the men felling the trees had driven 
them away, and only an occasional Mallard comes back to witness the 
desolation of his quondam abode. I noticed two Swans on the pond, and 
the keeper remarked that they had been there about four or five days, and 
had strayed away from a gentleman's place near at hand. I therefore paid 
no particular attention to them. Indeed they might have escaped notice if 
they had not attracted our attention by their musical cries, which were so 
loud as to induce us to leave the trees and go towards them. They had 
left off swimming, and were standing in the shallow water, and we saw 
that their beaks were black. The next instant they slowly rose into the air, 
and the effect of these snow-white birds against the dark background of 
Scotch firs was very fine. Owing, I suppose, to the difficulty of rising in 
a confined place, for the pond is surrounded by woods, one of them struck 
against a Scotch fir and fell to the earth. We ran to get him, but he was 
not much hurt and made off as hard as he could through the wood—I after 
him. When within ten yards I saw it was a Bewick’s Swan, and a very 
fine one, too. A regular chase ensued, for the bird had not lost the use of 
its wings; but I caught it at last, and then discovered that it had struck its 
head, probably against one of the boughs, and put out an eye. Meanwhile 
the other Swan flew round, uttering clamorous trumpet-calls. J sent off 
the keeper for a gun, while the woodman aud I spread out the dead bird, 
and endeavoured, by imitating the calls of its mate, to keep it from flying 
away. This was successful for about ten minutes, when we had the 
mortification of seeing it disappear; but a quarter of au hour afterwards 
I found it on one of the other ponds. As the keeper had some way to go, 
I had ample leisure to watch it attentively. It certainly did not seem to 
miss its mate, for it went on feeding busily, its whole head and neck being 
as often under the water as above. On the same piece of water we keep a 
pair of Polish Swans, and I had a good opportunity of comparing their 
carriage with that of the Bewick’s Swan. There was very little difference, 
except that the latter looked no bigger than a goose beside them. Perhaps 
the Bewick’s Swan’s neck was a trifle less arched; but in every position it 
