14 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XI. 



their heads, allow themselves to fall to the ground, when they are 

 captured without any difficulty. Fear is likewise exploited in South 

 America for the capture of another species of swan by the Guachos, 

 who when they perceive a flock, run towards it keeping themselves 

 leeward to the wind and concealing themselves. When they get 

 close enough to the flock, they spur up their horses and. rush upon 

 the birds with loud shouts. The swans seized with fear are unable to 

 take flight, and allow themselves to be seized and slaughtered upon 



the spot." 



In spite of the beautiful novelty of this way of catching swans, 

 Indian sportsmen had better keep to that dear, old-fashioned weapon, 

 the D.-B. breechloader and leave the attempt to put salt on ducks' 

 tails to Guachos who can " run towards " a flock on horseback by 

 " keeping leeward to the wind " and then "spurring up their horses," 

 or to Icelanders who are sufficiently distracting in their ways to con- 

 fuse even the wily swan. 



The hooper is said to have not nearly as stately or as graceful a 

 carriage as the common swan, holding its neck in a much stiffer and 

 more erect position than does that bird, which, of course, gives it a 

 more jerky carriage when swimming. This trait may prove of use 

 to the future sportsman or ornithologist who sees swans at too great 

 a distance to examine their bills, and thus ascertain to what particular 

 species they belong. 



(4) Cygnus bewicki. Bewick's Swan. 



Cygnus bewicJd — Oat. B. of B. Museum, XXVII, p. 29. 



Cygnus bewicML— Hume, Str. Feath.,VII, pp. 107, 464, VIII, p. 1 14. 

 Hume's Cat. No. 944, quat ; Hume and Marsh., G. B., Ill, p. 51. 



Cygnus ferus. — Blanf., Str. Feath., VII, p. 99 ; Hume, ibid, p. 464. 



Description : Adult Male.— Similar to C. musicus, but considerably 

 smaller. The whole bill is black, with the exception of the basal por- 

 tion which is yellow ; the lores, as in C. musicus, are also yellow. 

 Legs and feet dull black, irides light brown or hazel. 



Length 3'-10" to 4'-2" ; wing about 21"; culmen 3*8" ; tarsus 4'8" 

 (Salvadori). 



Length 45", expanse 74", wing 20*5", tarsus 5*5", bill along culmen 

 from margin of frontal feathers 3*5", to eye 4'41", tarsus 375' 

 (Hume). It must be noticed that Hume mentions the tarsus twice, 



