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ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



and frequently even to repel his attack, forcing him to 

 seek his safety in flight. It never attempts to molest 

 any of the smaller waterfowl that inhabit its domains ; 

 but in the season of its amours it will not suffer a rival 

 to approach its retreat without a sanguinary struggle, 

 in which one or other is generally destroyed. It is 

 said to attain a very great age, thirty years being com- 

 monly spoken of as the term of its existence. It is 

 even asserted that in Alkmar, a town in the north of 

 Holland, there died, in the year 1672, a swan belonging 

 to the municipality, which bore on its collar the date 

 of 1573, and must consequently have been a century 

 old ; and several other instances of a similar nature 

 have been related by authors. We must confess, how- 

 ever, that we entertain strong doubts of the authenticity 

 of such statements, founded merely on popular tradition 

 and unsupported by any positive evidence. 



