6 anatidjE. 



informed me that this swan was shot by his gamekeeper in the 

 heather on the borders of Lough Beg at day-break, on the 

 1 4th of February. Hearing on the previous day that a swan was 

 on the lake, Mr. Bruce went in pursuit, and got two or three 

 shots at it with a rifle ; but being in a boat, and a stiff breeze 

 blowing at the time, he could not strike the bird with a ball, 

 though he did so more than once with shot, at too great a dis- 

 tance, however, to do much injury. Night coming on, the chase 

 was given up, and on the following morning the keeper was sent 

 to where the bird was last seen, when, managing to approach 

 within fifty yards of his victim, he shot it. This swan had been 

 about tliree weeks on the lake by itself, where, during the winter 

 at an earlier period, a single bird was seen by my informant, as 

 well as flocks of five, six, and fourteen, at dift'erent times. 

 Lough Beg is contiguous to Lough Neagli, with which it is con- 

 nected by the river Bann. 



I made the following notes on this swan previous to its being skinned. Weight 



17i lbs. 



ft. in. liu. 



Length from point of bill to end of tail . . . . . .489 



of wing from carpus to end of longest quill . . . . 1 11 'J 



bill from first feathers on forehead to point ... 43 



rictus to point . . . . . . . 3 11 



eye to point ....... 4 11 



tarsus ........... 49 



middle toe and nail ....... 6 U 



'['he black colour of the upper mandible extends fi'om the point") . 3 2 



Leaving of yellow thence to forehead .... J . 11 



The black extends, in an angular direction, from its termination on 



the ridge of the biU down through the middle of the nostrils, until 



it strikes the base of the upper mandible at the distance from its 



point of .......... 1 y 



Tail-feathers 20 in number. 



This bird is wholly of a white colour, excepting a very few rust-coloured feathers 



close to the base of the upper mandible. This is of a deep lemon-yellow towards 



the base, and shining black towards the point. The under mandible is black on the 



outer horny part, lemon-yellow down the central or fleshy portion. Legs and toes 



with webs of both upper and under siufaces black ; nails blackish ; iridcs blackish ; 



— the precise shade coidd not be ascertained, owing to the bird having been two or 



thi-ee days dead. On dissection it proved to be a female ; the stomach was quite 



empty. 



