THE BLACK SWAN. 



Cygnus atratus. 



When the classical writers of antiquity spoke of the 

 Black Swan as a proverbial rarity, so improbable as 

 almost to be deemed impossible, little did they imagine 

 that in these latter days a region would be discovered, 

 nearly equal in extent to the Roman empire even at 

 the proudest period of its greatness, in which their 

 "rara avis" would be found in as great abundance as 

 the common Wild Swan upon the lakes of Europe.* 

 Such, however, has been one of the least singular 

 among the many strange and unexpected results of the 

 discovery of the great southern continent of New Hol- 

 land. Scarcely a traveller who has visited its shores 

 omits to mention this remarkable bird. An early notice 

 of its transmission to Europe occurs in a letter from 

 Witsen to Dr. Martin Lister, printed in the twentieth 

 volume of the Philosophical Transactions ; and Valen- 

 tyn published in 1726 an account of two living speci- 

 mens brought to Batavia. Cook, Vancouver, Phillip, 



