NOTES AND QUERIES. 193 



to the ground, but only to be stunned for a short period. — G. B. Corbin 

 (Eingwood, Hants). 



Whooper Swan at Carlisle. — In December, 1904, the keeper of 

 Carlisle Park noticed that a strange Swan had arrived on the Eden, 

 and joined the flock of Mutes under his care. The bird was in the 

 brown plumage of the cygnet, and the bill was of a blackish hue, 

 similar in colour to that of a Mute cygnet, but of a different shape. 

 Some time elapsed before this bird was brought to the notice of any 

 ornithologist. Mr. Losh Thorpe was the first to hear that a stranger 

 had arrived, and, together with Mr. L. E. Hope, of Carlisle Museum, 

 he visited the river, and the bird was at once identified as an immature 

 Whooper (Cygnus musicus). The bird remained on the river in com- 

 pany with the other Swans until May 8th, 1905, and when last seen 

 was flighting down the Eden in company with two Mutes. At this 

 time the bird was almost entirely white, and the yellow on the bill was 

 also beginning to appear. No more was heard of the bird until 

 Nov. 1.6th, when it again put in its appearance on the Eden, and 

 rejoined the Mutes, being, of course, in full mature plumage. The 

 bird appears to be the leader of the flock, and chases the Mutes away 

 from any scraps of food which may be thrown to them. This is con- 

 trary to the experience of the late Rev. H. A. Macpherson, who, in the 

 'Victoria History' of Cumberland, says of this species : — " They are 

 timid birds even with their own kind. I have seen them disperse in 

 haste before the threatened onset of a couple of tame Mute Swans. On 

 the other hand, they willingly tolerate lesser fowl to swim close to 

 them." The bird under notice is very fearless, and will come within 

 three yards of anyone feeding the birds. The date of its return 

 (Nov. 16th) corresponds with the passage of Wild Swans in the Solway 

 district, shortly before a pack of twenty was observed flighting down 

 the Solway. At the present date (April 12th) it is still on the river, 

 and a magnificent bird it is, the yellow on the bill contrasting well 

 with its snowy white plumage. The upright carriage of the neck is 

 noticeable, and the head is carried at right angles to the neck, not, as 

 in the Mute, at an acute angle. If a pinioned Whooper could be 

 obtained, and introduced to the flock, it might induce the wild bird to 

 remain through the summer. Cases of this sort must be very rare, 

 and it would be interesting to know whether a similar one has come 

 within the experience of any of your readers. — Eric B. Dunlop 

 (Carlisle Museum). , 



Pelicans reported in Oxfordshire. — In the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain's 

 notes (ante, p. 142), I was interested to read of the occurrence of a 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. X., May, 1906, - q 



