ANATID^. 217 



Museum, informed us that both examples were females. Our own parish, 

 under the Quantocks, received a visit from these elegant little Swans. 

 ^Ve are told bj' Mr. Esdaile that four were seen for several days on the 

 lake in his park at Cothelestone, and that before the birds left him their 

 numbers were increased to seven. One was either a wounded bird, or 

 had received a severe handling from the tame Swans on the lake, for it 

 fell a prey to a prowling fox and was found half-eaten on the bank. 

 The head, that of an adult, was presented to Mr. Cecil Smith. One 

 of the four Swans obtained near Glastonbury', being only sliglitly wounded, 

 was kept alive for some time with other fowl, and soon became tame, 

 thus bearing out what has been frequently recorded of the domesticity of 

 this species. A friend of ours when Snipe-shooting on the moors to the 

 east of Taunton came across a small flock of Bewick's Swans, and had an 

 ineffectual shot at them. He was struck by their small size, and said 

 that they seemed more like Wild (ieese than Swans. Some Brent Geeso 

 appeared on the same " ground " * when the Swans were noticed, and 

 tvio were shot at a spot considerably inland for a bird which usually con- 

 fines itself to the coast. 



We have no knowledge of any specimens of Bewick's Swan from North 

 Devon. According to Mr. ^lanscl-Pleydell, it is very rarely obtained in 

 DoTsetshire, but may have been seen and taken for "Common Wild 

 Swans.'"' 



[Observations. — Two specimens of the Australian Black Swan (C;/;pii(S 

 airata, Lath.) have been killed on the Exe. One was shot off Exmouth 

 in October ISS.5 (Zool. 185-5, p. 6447), and is now in the A. M. M. The 

 second was killed about ISO!), and was seen by us in the flesh. Both 

 birds were probably wanderers from Bieton Lake, near Budleigh, where 

 many foreign aquatic birds were kept in a semi-domesticated condition. 

 Had specimens been obtained oftcner, this Swan would have as good 

 claim to be considered part of our fauna as an introduced species as the 

 Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, &c. 



The American Trumpeter Swan (C. Inurinator), a larger species than 

 the Whooper with a black bill, has long been naturalized in England, and 

 has been killed, apparently in a wild state, near Aldeburgh ; and another 

 JS^orth-American species, the Whistling Swan (C, (niiericanus), is said to 

 have been occasionally killed in Scotland. It has small patches of a deep 

 orange-colour on the sides of the bill.] 



decnjiiig weeds into wliicli tlie birds tlinist tlieir heads wliile feedinfr, or from some 

 mud or sand impregnated with iron willi wliidi tliey have come in contact. Tiiere are 

 eomo very interesting remarks on tliis subject in the ' Birds of Norfolk,' vol. iii. p. 7<'). 

 * On t lie .Somerset fens a "ground" is what would elscwlierc be termed a tieici, only 

 it is separated Irom the adjoining grounds by deep ditches, lull of water, with an 

 unknown bottom of mud, instead ol' by hedges or walls. 



