No. 2] xhe Birds of Old English Literature 25 



4. hwitgos. White goose. 



WW. 259. 2 : canta, hwitegos ; 351. 16 ; anser ~ ; ZdA. 240. 14 : ~ hwit- 

 goa; WW. 284. 12: ~ uel ganra, hwit gos. 'The words uel ganra are 

 added in another hand.' 



5. grSg-gos. Gray goose, wild goose. 



Er. 1104 : anser silvatica, gregos ; WW. 259. 3 : canta, grseggos ; 284. 13 : 

 ganta uel auca ~ ; ZdA. 240. 13 : ganta ~ ; jE. Gl. 307. note : canta, grei gos ; 

 WW. 415. 31 : gans, gregegos. 



6. wildegos. Wild goose. 



WW. 413. 6 : gente, wildegos ; Cp. G. 53, 68 : ~ wildegoos ; C. 341 : cente 

 ~ ; WW. 364. I : ~ wildegos. 



Riddle 11 is usually interpreted as the sea-furrow, but 

 Brooke believes that it describes the barnacle goose 

 {branta leucopsis) : 



Neb wass min on nearwe and ic neotSan wxtre 



flode underflowen, firgenstreamum 



switSe besuncen, and on sunde awox 



ufan ycSum Seaht, anum getenge 



litJendum wuda lice mine, 



hsefde feorh cwico, Sa ic of fxSmum cwom^ 



brimes and beames on blacum hraegle : 



sume wseron hwite hyrste mine, 



Sa mec lifgende iyft upp ahof 



wind of wsege, sitTSan wide bser 



ofer seolhbatJo. Saga, hwset ic hatte ! 



Sub. F. Cygninae. Swans. 



Gen. Cygnus. True Swans. 



XLII. I. swan. Swan; doubtfully derived from the 

 root of L. sonare, to sound. ME. swan, swon; OHG. swan, 

 swana; G. schwan ; Icel. swanr, used only in a poetical 

 sense. At present three species of swans are found in 

 England. The most common species, the whistling or 

 wild swan {cygnus musicus), was known to the Anglo-Saxons, 

 as its peculiar song is described in Riddle 8. The mute 

 swan {cygnus olor) is said to have been introduced into 

 England by Richard I. towards the end of the 12th cent. 

 It now exists as a semi-domesticated species. 



