AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



185 



youngest bird there was always a chamber formed in the 

 flattened part behind the keel, even where the wind pipe 

 was too short, from the youth of the bird, to occupy it entire- 

 ly. In these cases the trachea, passed into the keel but re- 

 tained the perpendicular position of the duplication. 



Mr. Yarrell mentions a paper in the London Philos. 

 Trans, for 1766, on a Swan brought from Philadelphia to 

 London, and dissected there, which he considers of the new 

 species. 



This singular arrangement of the windpipe of the North- 

 ern wild Swan, has been described by all writers on the 

 bird for more than a century. A disposition to the same 

 formation is seen in the New Holland Swan, but not to the 

 same extent, and also in the Cranes. This peculiarity of 

 the Swan is not a sexual difference, being found in every case 

 whether male or female, and the development is always 

 in exact correspondence with the age. This singular for- 

 mation, it is supposed, is designed to give intensity to the 

 voice, on the same principle as the convolutions of the French 

 horn, although the author of the paper just alluded to, con- 

 siders it necessary to enable the bird to remain under the 

 water a longer time. 



Having paid some attention to the Swan, in relation to 

 its habits particularly, I am somewhat induced from my 

 observations to consider the American Swan of but one 

 species, notwithstanding the opinion of Hearne, Lawson 

 and Yarrell, and that species entirely distinct from 

 any other. I have had an opportunity of examining five 

 prepared birds and five sternums, now in this city, and 

 the distinguishing marks between the latter and those des- 

 cribed by Mr. Yarrell appear sufficient to indicate a true 

 American Swan and deserving the title oi Americana. 



I will here merely mention the general lines of demarca- 

 tion, as all my data at this time, rests on prepared specimens, 

 but when the recent Swan can be procured, a systematic 

 examination of every distinguishing trait both external and 

 internal will be made, when doubtless many other well 

 marked specific differences will be discovered. 



All the preserved Swans of which I have spoken, weighed 

 when recent, more than twenty pounds and four of them near 

 thirty pounds — have twenty feathers in the tail — bare space 

 on the bill yellow, and sides of the bill parallel, with other ex- 

 ternal marks of the Hooper. The colour of the eye, I can- 

 not positively learn at this time, some difference of opinion 

 existing even with the preservers of these specimens, two of 

 them beautifully prepared by Mr. John Doughty, and now 

 in his collection, having yellow eyes, which he assures me, 

 was the tint of the original iris when the birds came into 

 his possession, which was several days after being killed. 

 The Swans finely preserved by Mr. Titian Peale, and now in 

 the Philadelphia Museum, have brown eyes, and a regular 

 3 A 



preserver of subjects of Natural History Informs me, that 

 all the Swans he has prepared, had black eyes. As age 

 may produce a change in the colour of the iris, all these de- 

 clarations may be correct in relation to the particular cases. 



But the breast bones which I have mentioned, have every 

 attribute of the Bewick, except being much larger. The 

 cavity passes through the keel into the body oiihe sternum, 

 and forms the horizontal chamber, which is occupied to its 

 posterior extremity by the loop of the trachea, turning to 

 the horizontal position according to the direction of the 

 route. I have at this time in my possession, three perfect 

 specimens of this formation, one of which, was from a bird 

 of the third year and still retaining many dark feathers. 

 The horizontal pouch in the body of the bone, is about an 

 inch in lateral diameter, with the trachea running to the 

 bottom. Thenext instance is still more developed, and the 

 third, which I know came from an old bird, is in its whole 

 length eight inches, and is perforated to the depth of seven 

 and a half inches. The chamber in the body of the sternum 

 projects on the upper surface near one quarter of an inch, 

 is three inches in its lateral diameter and allows a vacant 

 circle of one and a half inches in diameter within the loop 

 of the windpipe. The vertical portion is just one half of 

 the whole duplication. 



If wide anatomical differences make distinctions in 

 species, here is certainly a broad line of demarcation be- 

 tween our Swan and any other, assuming in its structure a 

 middle course between the Hooper and Bewick Swans, and 

 possessing many of the characters of both. 



THE DEATH SONG OF THE SWAN. 



By Charles West Thomson. 



Farewell, ye summer streams where I have sported 



Full oft by mossy rock and flowery dell, 

 I lave no more where once my flock resorted — 



Ye summer streams farewell ! 



No more upon your verdant banks reclining, 



I see your breast reflect the clear blue skies, — 

 Ye quiet waters in the sun-beams shining. 



Your humble votary dies. 



Yet 'mid your lovely scenes where fairies wander. 



In many a gay and sportive moonlight throng, 

 I pause on life's dim verge awhile to ponder — 

 Accept my latest song. 



