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Some Notes on the Instinct of Swans. 

 By Colonel Milne Home, Caldra, Duns. 



A few years ago the late Mr Hay, of Duns Castle, kindly 

 presented me with a pair of swans, which he sent down to 

 Paxton, our desire being that they should grace a small piece of 

 water below a viaduct on the approach from the lodges to the 

 house. The pair duly arrived, and were placed on the pond. 

 They were fed at intervals, and apparently had plenty of water 

 weeds, &c., to live on, in addition to the meals brought to them. 

 But remain they would nut. Being pinioned, they had no means 

 of locomotion except their feet, and in spite of almost constant 

 watching on the part of the gamekeeper and his family, it was 

 found impossible to retain them in their new home. In order 

 to leave it, they proceeded neither up nor down the burn con- 

 necting with the pond, but took a direct line for the Tweed, which 

 river, though not far distant, was completely hidden from view 

 by a steep ridge, between itself and the said pond. Thus it is 

 clear that the instinct of the birds told them where the larger 

 expanse of water was, and how to reach it. 



Fearing that they would stray and be lost, if they had their 

 will, we had the swans removed to two larger ponds further 

 inland, in close proximity to each other, on Nabdean Farm. 

 Here they consented to stay for a while, but ultimately they 

 marched off to the big river, finding the nearest route. 



Towards nesting time, they seemed to try various retreats by 

 the river, but apparently they were not suitable, for the pair 

 marched back to Nabdean Ponds, and formed a nest there, on an 

 island, in close view of a well-used footpath. 



While the hatching was going on, the male bird was never off 

 sentry, showing a fierce front to all intruders save the man who 

 supplied them daily with food. In due course three cygnets 

 were hatched, and, when they were so far grown as to be up to 

 the journey, the whole family set off to the Tweed. Once 

 there, they declined to be satisfied with the Paxton waters, but 

 separated and wandered far up the river, even to some of the 

 tributaries. Complaints being made by certain owners of salmon 

 fishings that the Paxton swans were disturbing the waters, the 

 birds were with difficulty brought back. Though I myself 

 believe that swans may do as much good to waters [by keeping 

 down weeds] as harm, if they do any harm, I found it desirable 

 to dispose of two of the cygnets. The third disappeared, and, I 



