THE SWIMMERS. 1 19 



directly towards the sleeping-place of the birds ; thus suddenly awakened, the Flamingoes fly against 

 the nets, in which they are easily captured, and in this manner fifty or sixty are sometimes taken at 

 once. The fishermen on the Lake of Mensala adopt a still stranger plan : after having, by carefully 

 watching a flock, discovered where the sentinels are placed (the latter always remain bolt upright, 

 whilst the rest of the flock sleep with their heads under their wings), a naked fisherman, having his 

 head covered with a bundle of grass or reeds, swims or creeps towards the unsuspecting birds, and 

 suddenly seizing the sentry, plunges his head under water, and breaks his neck before an alarm can 

 be given. The sleepers then become easy victims. This latter account we should certainly not have 

 credited without corroborative evidence. In North Egypt, however, dozens of these beautiful birds 

 may be seen exposed for sale in the markets, where they are eagerly bought for the table ; their flesh 

 is excellent, and quite devoid of the oily flavour which we fully expected would have rendered it 

 unpalatable. 



The SWANS (Cygui), from their proud looks and majestic demeanour, must ever hold a 

 conspicuous position in the order to which they belong. Their imposing size and elegant appearance 

 at once rivet attention, and closer examination shows that amongst Lamellirostral birds they form 

 a sharply-defined group, easily distinguishable from the Ducks and the Geese, with which they have 

 been sometimes associated. Their body is elongated, their neck very long, and their head moderate. 

 Their beak is straight, of equal breadth throughout, rounded in front, and at its base naked and 

 protuberant. The upper mandible is flatly vaulted above, and terminates anteriorly in a roundish nail. 

 The length of the beak is pretty nearly the same as that of the head ; the legs are short, and placed 

 very far back ; the middle toe is longer than the tarsus, and the hinder toe, which is small and feeble, 

 is so much elevated that in walking it does not reach the ground ; while the web connecting the three' 

 front toes is remarkably broad and complete. In the construction of the wing, the relative propor- 

 tions between the bony framework and the quills is deserving of notice, the former being very long, 

 the latter somewhat short, while the primary quills, of which the second is the longest, are scarcely 

 longer than the secondaries and the tertiaries. The tail consists of eighteen or twenty graduated 

 feathers. On the under surface the plumage is thick and fur-like ; on the upper side, on the contrary, 

 the feathers are broad ; but everywhere, both above and below, the body is richly covered with down. 



With the exception of the equatorial regions of our globe, Swans are to be met with in every 

 climate, but they principally abound in temperate and cold latitudes. In Asia and Europe three 

 species are met with, which occasionally extend their winter visits as far as North Africa. Two of 

 these species are likewise met with in America, together with several others that are peculiar to that 

 continent ; while at least one other very conspicuous species is an inhabitant of Australia. The 

 extent over which these several kinds are spread is very considerable, and their migrations extend 

 over a great distance. All the species are migratory, but by no means all the individuals belonging 

 to each, seeing that there are many of them whose residence is within the limits of the temperate 

 zone, that remain all the year round in the same locality, or at all events, content themselves widr 

 wandering to some place not very far remote from their usual residence. 



The following interesting account of the migrations of these birds is given by Franklin : " About 

 the first of September the Swans leave the Polar Sea, and resort to the lakes and rivers in and about 

 the latitude of Hudson's Bay ; there they remain till October, preparing for their departure for the 

 winter, when they collect in flocks of from twenty to thirty, and seizing a favourable opportunity, with 

 the wind not opposed to the direction of their flight, they mount high in the air, form a prolonged 

 wedge, and with loud screams depart for more genial climes. While making either their semi-annual 

 transmigration, or on shorter expeditions s an occasional scream, equal to, ' How do you all come on 



