WHISTLING SWAN. 2? 



death of its members. A wounded Swan is very diffi- 

 cult to capture, for it immediately swims away right in 

 the wind's " eye," and so rapidly can it propel itself by its 

 broad feet that a man in a boat has great difficulty in 

 capturing it. When overtaken, it is found to be no mean 

 antagonist, for it can deal severe blows with its wings, 

 sufficiently powerful at times to break a man's arm, while 

 the great feet are capable of committing severe injury 

 with their long claws. It is therefore necessary to be 

 somewhat careful in approaching a wounded Swan. 



In addition to its smaller size the present species can 

 be distinguished from the Trumpeter Swan by the pres- 

 ence of a yellow oblong spot on the naked skin near the 

 eye, this part in the other species being all black. It 

 weighs from twelve to twenty pounds, some exception- 

 ally large birds perhaps a few pounds more. In 

 Louisiana this species is called Cygne. 



CYGNUS COLUMBIANUS. 



Geographical Distribtition. — America, generally; Commander 

 Islands, Kamchatka. Accidental in Scotland. Breeds in Arctic 

 regions. 



Adult. — Plumage, pure white; occasionally individuals have 

 rust color spots or blotches on head and neck, sometimes also on 

 the body. Lores naked, with a small yellow spot. Bill and feet 

 black. Total length, about 50 to 55 inches; wing average, 21; 

 tarsus, 4^; culmen, 4. 



Young. — General color, gray; sometimes nearly a lead color 

 during the first year, and the bill reddish in hue. Second year the 

 plumage is lighter and the bill is white, turning to black in 

 the third year, when the plumage is white, mottled with gray on 

 the body, the head and neck being mostly all gray. It requires 

 about five years before the plumage becomes entirely pure white. 



Downy Young. — Pure white. Bill, legs, and feet, yellow. 

 From a specimen taken at Franklin Bay, Arctic America, by 

 MacFarlane in i86g, now in the Philadelphia Academy of Nat- 

 ural Sciences. 



