186 MUTE SWAN. 



Its food consists chiefly, if not entirely, of vegetable matter; and Mr. Thompson 

 relates his seeing a pair of Swans on one occasion busily engaged in rooting up potatoes 

 in a field, and eating them. 



The following interesting record of the dying moments of a favourite Swan, we extract 

 from the "Second Series of Essays on Natural History," by our valued friend Charles 

 Waterton, Esq., whose ardent love for Natural History is only equalled by his care in 

 having ocular demonstration for every fact vouched for as such by him: — 



"Once I had an opportunity, which rarely occurs, of being with a Swan in its last 

 illness. Although I gave no credence to the extravagant notion which antiquity had 

 entertained of melody from the mouth of the dying Swan, still I felt anxious to hear 

 some plaintive sound or other, some soft inflection of the voice, which might tend to 

 justify that notion in a small degree. But I was disappointed. 



This poor Swan was a great favourite, and had been the pride of the lake time out 

 of mind. Those who spend their life in the country, and pay attention to the ordinary 

 movements of birds, will easily observe a change in them, whenever their health is on 

 the decline. I perceived that the plumage of this Swan put on a weather-beaten 

 appearance, and that the bird itself no longer raised the feathers of his wings, as he 

 passed through the water before me. Judging that he was unwell, I gave orders that 

 he should be supplied with bread and boiled potatoes. Of these he ate sparingly, and 

 in a day or two he changed his quarters, probably for want of sufficient shelter from 

 the wind. Having found his way down to the stables, he got upon a small fishpond 

 there, out of the reach of storms. From this time he never fended for food, but he 

 continued to take a little white bread now and then from my hand. At last he 

 refused this; and then he left the water for good and all, and sat down on the 

 margin of the pond, with evident signs of near-approaching death. He soon became too 

 weak to support his long neck in an upright position. He nodded, and then tried to 

 recover himself, and then nodded again, and again held up his head; till at last, quite 

 enfeebled and worn out, his head fell gently on the grass, his wings became expanded 

 a trifle or so, and he died whilst I was looking on. This was in the afternoon, and 

 I had every facility of watching his departing hour, for I was attending the masons, 

 some thirty yards from the pond to which the Swan had retired. He never even uttered 

 his wonted cry, nor so much as a sound, to indicate what he felt within." 



The nest, which is a large structure, composed of straw, grass, rushes, reeds, and 

 other water-side plants, is placed near the edge of the water, and, if an island is 

 attainable, it is always chosen, as being more secure from the attacks of an enemy. 



The eggs, which vary from two to six or seven in number, are of a dull greenish 

 white, and measure four inches in length, by two inches and three-quarters in breadth. 

 Incubation lasts for six weeks, and is performed by both parents, in turns. 



