SWAN UPPING 



193 



prosecute the swanherds of all three owners with a 

 view to abolish the practice. The writer was 

 invited to attend as a witness on behalf of the prose- 

 cution, but declined, on the ground that a time- 

 honoured custom, which had been regulated by 

 Statutes and Orders in Council, was not likely to 



NEWLY HATCHED CrGNETS. 



be set aside by a magistrate's order made at petty 

 sessions. This view proved to be correct, the 

 summonses were dismissed, and nothing further 

 has since been heard of the matter. 



As an eye-witness of the mode of marking the 

 old swans and pinioning the cygnets, I am prepared 

 to affirm that the swanherds not only handle the 



