ANATID^ — CYGNIN^ : SWANii. 



681 



notice. Tbey are salacious to a degree remarkable even in the hot-blooded, passionate class of 

 birds; a circumstance rendering the production of hybrids frequent, and favoring the study of 

 this subject. If we recall the peculiar actions of geese nipi)ing herbage, and of ducks "dab- 

 bling " in the water, and know that some species, as the mergansers, pursue fish and other live 

 prey under water, we have the principal modes of feeding. Nidificaticjn is usually on the 

 ground ; sometimes in a hollow tree ; the nest is often warmly lined with live feathers ; tlie 

 eggs are usually of some plain pale color, as greenish, drab, or creamy; the clutch varies in 

 number, commonly ranging from half a dozen t(j a dozen and a half. The young are clotlied 

 with stiffish down, and swim at once. Among the ducks and mergansers, marked sexual diver- 

 sity in color is the rule ; the reverse is the case with swans and geese. A noteworthy color- 

 ation of many species, especially of ducks, is the sxieculum ; a brightly colored, generally 

 iridescent, area on the seccmdary quills. Most of the species are migratory, particularly thcjse 

 of the northern hemisphere ; tlie fhght is performed in bands, that seem to preserve discipUue 

 as well as companionship ; and with such regularity, that no birds are better entitled to the 

 claim of weather-prophets. 



There are upward of 175 species of this family, inhabiting all parts of tlie world. They 

 difl(!r a good deal in minor details, and represent a number of peculiar genera aside from the 

 ordinary types, though none are so aberrant as to endanger the integrity of the group. It is 

 difticult to establish divisions higher than generic, because the swans, geese, and ducks, if not 

 also the mergansers, are closely united by intermediate genera. But the five groups presented 

 as subfamilies in the following pages, and representing the whole of the family, may be con- 

 veniently recognized, and are readily distinguislied, so far as our species are concerned, by the 

 characters assigned. The genera will be found analyzed under heads of their respective 

 subfamilies. 



Anaiijals of SithfamUles. 

 Oygnin^. Swans. Lores partly naked. Tarsi reticulate. Hallu.x simple. Se.xes alike. 

 Ansekinj;;. Geese. Lores feathered. Tarsi reticulate. Hallux simple. Se.xes alike. 

 Anatin^. Hlver Ducks. Lures feathered. Tarsi scutellate in front. Hallux simple. Jjill flattened. Sexes 



unlike. 

 FeLlGULlN.E. ,Sea Bucks. Lores feathered. Tarsi scutellate in front. Hallux lobate. Bill flattened. 



Sexes unlike. 

 Mergis.1}. Mergansers. Lores feathered. Tarsi scutellate in front. Hallux lobate. Bill cyliudric. Sexes 



unlike. 



65. Subfamily CYCNIN/E: Swans. 



A strip of hare sMn between the eye mid hill ; tarsi 

 reticulate, aitel shorter than middle toe and claw ; 

 hind toe simple, or with very slight lobe. In the 

 Swans, the neck is of extreme length and flexibility, 

 exceeding the trunk, with up to 22 or 26 vertebraj ; 

 the movements and attitudes on the water are pro- 

 verbially elegant and graceful. The bill equals la- 

 exceeds the head in length ; it is high and com- 

 pressed at base (where sometimes tuberculate). Hat- 

 ter and widened at the end ; the nostrils are rnediau. 

 The lores are naked in the adults, though usually 

 feathered in the young. Some of the inner remiges 

 are usually enlarged, and when elevated in a pecu- 

 liar position of the wing, they act as sails to help the 

 course of the bird over the water. The reticulate 

 tarsi are shorter than the middle toe and claw. The hallux is scarcely or not lobate. The leo-s 

 are placed rather far back for this family, so that the gait is awkward and constrained. The 



Cijgnus olor. (From 



