188 SWANS. 



■waters, with central hollow, and broad rim sloping 

 like a glacis to the water all round. The young are 

 at first dark, and often borne about on the back of 

 the old birds in the hollow between the raised wings, 

 whence, the wings having been lowered, they are 

 scattered upon the water, 



WHOOPER SWAN-5 feet; front half of bill black, 

 remainder yellow ; no black between eye and bill, 



BEWICK'S SWAN— 50 inches; tract between eye and 

 base of bill, and base of bill itself, deep yellow; re- 

 mainder of bill — i.e. almost the whole bill — black. 



WHOOPER SWAN. — Plate S3. 5 feet. All 

 white ; front half of bill black ; remainder of bill, 

 and the space between the eye and the base of the 

 bill, yellow ; the line of division between the black 

 and the yellow portions of the bill descending 

 obliquely forwards ; legs and feet black. Winter 

 migrant. 



The Whooper or Whistling Swan is a winter 

 migrant from the far north to the coasts and islands 

 of North Britain, passing farther south before hard 

 weather. It is less common in Ireland. Like Geese, 

 the birds fly in wedge-shaped formation, and use a 

 loud, trumpeting note, besides the ' whooping ' note 

 from which their name is derived. 



MUTE SWAN— 5 feet; all white; black patch between 

 eye and base of bill ; tubercle, nostril, and tip of bill 

 black ; upper mandible reddish-orange ; under one (little 

 . seen) black. 



BEWICK'S SWAN^SO inches ; all white ; space between 

 eye and bfise of bill, and base of bill itself, deep yellow ; 

 remainder of bill, including entire ridge of upper man- 

 dible, black. 



