726 THE BLACK SWAK 



Field newspaper. " There never was no manner of doubt about the dreadful mischief 

 the Swans do. They eats up the spawn of every kind of hsh till they have filled 

 out their bags, and then on to shore they goes, to sleep off their tuck out, and then at it 

 again." At such times the birds are so greedy after their feast that they can hardly 

 be driven away, and will often show fight rather than leave the spot. 



The nest of the Swan is a very large mass of reeds, rushes, and grasses set upon the 

 bank, close to the water, in some sheltered spot. Generally the bird prefers the shore of 

 a little island as a resting-place for its nest. Like other water-birds, the Swan will raise 

 the nest by adding fresh material before the rising of the water near which it is j)laced. 

 There are generally six or seven eggs ; large, and of a dull greenish white. The young 

 are of a light bluish grey colour, and do not assume the beautiful white plumage until 

 maturity. The mother is very watchful over her nest and young, and in company with 

 her mate assaults any intruder upon the premises. During the first period of their life 

 the young Swans mount on their mother's back, and are thus carried from one place 

 to another. If in the water, the Swan is able to sink herself so low that the young can 

 scramble upon her back out of the water, and if on land she helps them up by means of 

 one leg. 



The Hooper, Elk Swan, or Whistling Swan, may at once be distinguished from the 

 preceding species by the shape and colour of the beak, which is slender, without the black 

 tubercle, and is black at the tip and yellow at the base, the latter colour stretching 

 as far as the eye. 



The name of Hooper is given to this bird because its cry resembles the word " hoop " 

 very loudly uttered, and repeated many times successively. The bird arrives in England 

 in the winter, mostly coming over in little bands. At the Orkney Islands a few Hoopers 

 remain throughout the year, and large flocks make their appearance about October, 

 departing for the north in April. On the wing these birds generally fly in the form of a 

 wedge, and cry loudly as they go. The curious sound is produced by means of the 

 formation of the windpipe, which is very long, doubled upon itself, and traverses nearly- 

 the entire length of the breastbone, which is hollowed to receive it. The length of wind- 

 pipe depends on sex and age, the adult males exhibiting this curious structure in the 

 greatest perfection. In the JNIute Swan the windpipe is short, and does not enter the 

 breastbone at all. 



The nest of the Hooper is like that of the mute Swan, and the eggs are pale 

 brownish white. The length of the Hooper is abotit the same as that of the mute 

 species, i.e. five feet. 



Bewick's Swan, another British species, resembles the hooper in many respects, but 

 may be distinguished from that bird by its smaller size, the large patch of orange at the 

 base of the beak, and the structure of the windpipe and breastbone, which are found in 

 the same place as those of the hooper, but with considerable modification. This is not 

 nearly so graceful a bird as either of the preceding species, sitting on the water more like 

 a goose than a Swan, and having been frequently mistaken for the wild goose, especially 

 when on the wing. When flying, they generally go in a line. The length of this bird is 

 only four feet. 



Another species, the Polish or Immutable Swan, is occasionally found in England. 

 This bird derives its name of immutable from the fact that the young are white like their 

 parents, and do not pass through the grey stage of plumage. It may be readily 

 distinguished by the orange colour, which covers almost the whole of the beak, and 

 the shape and position of the nostrils, which are entirely surrounded by the orange hue. 

 There is a slight tubercle at the base of the beak. 



However emblematical of ornithological fiction a Black Swan might have been 

 in ancient times, it is now almost as familiar to English eyes as any of the white 

 species. 



This fine bird comes from Australia, where it was first discovered in 1698. It is 

 a striking and handsome bird, the blood-red bill and the white primaries contrasting 



