CHAP. XXIV. | WOUNDED WILD SWANS. 197 
towards the line of flight taken by the rest of the flock. The 
winged bird, after swimming about uneasily for a short time, 
seeing no enemy at hand, and finding that her companions did 
not return, went to the edge of the water, and having taken 
a careful survey of the country around, scrambled out, and com- 
menced a journey after them on terra firma. I allowed her to 
walk to some distance from the loch, and then running up, cut her 
off from returning to it. As soon as she saw me she made over 
a hillock in their line of flight; I ran up, and not seeing her, 
tracked her a little way in the sand, and presently found her 
lying stretched out flat on the ground amongst some long grass, 
endeavouring to hide herself. When she found that I had dis- 
covered her she again made off, but was soon caught. 
I mention this for the benefit of any one who may be in the 
predicament of having winged a swan on a lake, as this bird, if 
left alone and not seeing an enemy, will invariably make for the 
bank, and most probably leave the water to follow in the track 
of her companions if they have gone to any adjoining water. 
Though, as I have said, not so graceful in the water as their 
tame relatives, nothing can be more splendid than the flight of a 
flock of wild swans, as they pass over your head with their trans- 
parently white pinions, and uttering their far-sounding and 
‘musical trumpeting, which is often heard before the birds come 
into sight. 
I never ate a wild swan, but am told that their flesh, though 
dark coloured, has not the least rank taste, like that of some 
water-fowl, but, on the contrary, is very palatable, and worthy 
of being cooked. From their food, which consists wholly of 
flavourless grasses, I can easily suppose that they may be as 
good, if not better eating than the mallard or any other kind of 
wild duck, who all, more or Jess, feed on rank weeds, as well as 
on worms and a variety of other unclean food. 
