28 THE WHISTLING SWAN ON NIAGARA RIVER 



the time Buffalo was reached and when an opportunity was 

 given, it flew off as strong as ever in the direction of the River. 



Regarding the disposition made of all these swans which 

 in the aggregate would approximate a ton in weight, 1 will say 

 that the cygnets were nearly all selected at once for the table 

 and many a tough old bird as well. A large number, however, 

 have been preserved by the taxidermists of Niagara Falls and 

 Toronto. Five fine specimens secured by Mr. Ottomar Reinecke 

 are being prepared as a splendid group for the Museum of the 

 Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences by its taxidermist, Herman 

 Grieb. The latter reports that the stomachs of the birds exam- 

 ined by him were empty. One specimen, a female and not the 

 largest, measured 51^6 inches in length and 8r inches from tip 

 to tip of its extended wings. I saw no less than 50 of these 

 dead birds and looked them over carefully thinking that pos- 

 sibly there might be a Trumpeter Swan, Olor buccinator (Rich.), 

 among them but none was found. 



While the killing of the wounded swans at the ice bridge 

 w r as technically lawful and in a certain light might be regarded 

 as an act of mercy inasmuch as without human interference 

 most of the birds would probably have perished from their 

 injuries or by starvation, yet it is greatly to be regretted that as 

 many of the birds as possible were not taken alive and given an 

 opportunity to recover. I believe that fully one-third of the 116 

 swans taken would have survived if given the proper care. 

 But the impulse to kill was stronger than the spirit to save and 

 not even a pair of these unfortunate birds was rescued from 

 nature's doom and restored to nature's freedom. 



