FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 103 



one of which the birds seemed inclined to alight. Changing 

 their intention, however, they came flying up, and passing me 

 about 60 yards off; to my surprise and delight I recognised in 

 them most undoubted wild Swans. Firing with loose shot at 

 that distance was useless; so I watched in the hope that they 

 would settle in some of the pools higher up the stream, and 

 thereby afford a stalk, but they continued their slow, heavy 

 flight until I lost them in the distance. 



" Concluding that they would not stop till they reached the 

 Indus some 20 miles off, I was returning to my breakfast, a 

 sadder and a wiser man, wheu in taking a last look in their 

 direction I saw them returning. I hastily got in the centre of 

 the nullah in their line of flight, and as they rose slightly to 

 avoid me, fired both barrels, No. 3 shot, at the leader. She 

 (for it proved to be the female) staggered, but went on, slowly 

 sinking, till she settled in a large pool, about 400 yards off, 

 accompanied by her mate, which alighted close beside her. 



" The pool, being commanded by a high bank, offered an easy 

 stalk, and getting round into a favorable positiou, I found the 

 Swans within 20 yards of me. A crowd of Gad wall (C. 

 streperus) which was close by, took flight on seeing me, but the 

 male Swan stuck nobly by his mate aud paid dearly for his 

 fidelity, and shortly I had the satisfaction of landing them both. 



" The villagers who collected to see the birds gave the local 

 name as " Penr " (pronounced with a nasal n), and told me 

 that the birds came there occasionally once in every three 

 or fours years/' 



I may here notice that in other parts of Upper India this 

 name " Penr " is usualty applied to Pelicans. 



On the specimens sent by Captain Unwin I made the 

 following remarks in the Ibis, 1871, 412 : — 



C( Neither of these Swans is adult. The general colour of 

 the lower surface is a dull white ; of the upper whitey-brown ; 

 the crown and occiput wood-brown ; the greater portion of the 

 wing, the scapulars, and rump are wood, or sandy brown. There 

 is nowhere any trace of a " sooty grey." The brown is essen- 

 tially a buffy or sandy brown, though here and there, as in the 

 feathers of the base of the neck, a faint greyish shade is inter- 

 mingled. 



" These birds are, therefore, clearly not the Polish Swau, 

 which is white at all ages. The bill exhibits no trace of a 

 tubercle ; the feathers of the forehead are prolonged to a point, 

 only very slightly truncated. The colouring of the soft parts 

 was carefully noted in the fresh specimen by Captain Unwin, 

 and even in the dried specimen is clearly distinguishable. If 

 from each side of the froaUil tongue of feathers, about half an inch 



