100 WILD SWANS IN SIND. 



The second notice was by Mr. Hume in the Ibis for 1871, 

 p. 412, where he described a pair of immature specimens obtained 

 by Captain Unwin in the Upper Punjab, and proposed for them 

 the name of C. unwini. It was, however, shown by the Editor 

 that the specimens in question were probably the young of 

 C. olor. This conclusion is strongly supported by the capture of 

 adults of the same species in Bind, and by a specimen shot at 

 Attock by Lieutenant Hill of the Rifle Brigade, on the 17th 

 January 1878, and presented to the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 

 This last-mentioned skin is not fully adult, being slightly greyish 

 and with the tubercle on the bill undeveloped, but the species is 

 unmistakeable. 



Mr. Watson wrote to me the following account of the 

 capture of these Swans : "I shot three Swans this morning. 

 As far as I can judge they are identical with the English 

 species" (that is the Tame Swan) ; " there -were five on a 

 small 'dhand' or tank, about half a mile or less in length 

 by a quarter of a mile or less in breadth. I went to shoot 

 ducks, but seeing these large white birds, I went after them 

 and recognized them to be the same as those I had seen 

 on the Manchhar. They let a boat get pretty close and 

 I shot one. The other four flew round the tank a few 

 times and then settled on it again. I w r ent up in the boat 

 and fired again, but without effect. They flew round and then 

 settled again. The third time I shot another ; the three 

 remaining again flew round and settled, and the fourth time 

 I fired I did not kill. Exactly the same thing happened, the 

 birds flew round and settled close to me and I shot a third. 

 The remaining two flew a little distance and settled, but I 

 thought it would be a pity to kill them. I considered that 

 there would be more than I could skin myself (for I have no 

 one that can do it for me) so I began to shoot ducks, and then 

 the two remaining swans flew by me, one on the right and 

 one on the left, so that I could easily have knocked them over 

 with small shots. However I spared them and came home 

 with three/' 



Mr. Watson also sent me full details of coloration, 

 measurements, and weight. From these and a few additional 

 measurements on the dried skins I take the following account : — 



The colour of all was pure- white with a slight buff or golden 

 tint on the head ; (this has disappeared from the dried skins, 

 and may perhaps have been due to the feathers being stained). 

 The bill was orange, varying in depth of color, and in one 

 bird pale buff ; the tip of the mandible, the lores, and a patch 

 extending back from the nostril to the base of the tubercle, 

 black ; the tubercle was all black in one specimeu, black with 



