BIRDS 257 



being already familiar to me, as studied in a pinioned bird at 

 the Zoological Gardens. They were feeding in company, and 

 all four necks were sometimes straightened or bent forward at 

 the same instant. For a few moments they would observe 

 silence ; then they ' hooped,' and vociferating their peculiar clang, 

 they all fell to feeding again. So closely did they herd together 

 that two birds might often be mistaken for one. They appeared 

 to be well contented with their new quarters, paying no atten- 

 tion to the barking of a dog. Once, indeed, one of the Whoopers 

 seemed to be rather startled by the action of a Coot, which 

 suddenly bobbed up beside it ; the Swan napped its wings un- 

 easily, but did not attempt to fly. These Whoopers swam rapidly 

 through the water, the head and neck slightly thrown back, and 

 the black butt of the tarsus standing out in bold relief against 

 the white body-colour. Their necks were supple and arched 

 sinuously, held erect when the birds were at ' attention,' arched 

 when they fed, but twisted in various forms to rearrange the 

 plumage. Watching the four birds, you could see at the same 

 moment one fellow resting with neck erect, its next neighbour 

 arching its neck, a third shooting its neck forward in the shape 

 of the letter S. On the whole there existed a wonderful spon- 

 taneity of action between these birds. On the 9th of February 

 I called out Mr. J. N. Robinson to visit the lough. The two 

 old Mute Swans and their three cygnets were swimming near 

 the mill. The four Whoopers were browsing in the sedge beds 

 in the centre of the lough. A solitary Mute Swan was feeding 

 alone, not as yet daring to associate with the distinguished 

 strangers. It was pleasant to contrast the long-drawn, flat bodies 

 of the Whoopers with the more rounded outline of Cygnus olor. 

 The wild fellows swam together ; one and another arched their 

 necks backwards in a loop, dipped gracefully forward, and then, 

 raising their necks, allowed the water to trickle over their 

 shoulders. This was their method of bathing, but there was 

 nothing violent about it. On the contrary, the action was easy 

 and majestic, as became such lordly fowl. When they caught 

 sight of us they became metamorphosed at once into a * stiff- 

 necked generation,' and hurried off in line through the sedge. 

 Reaching open water on the other side they became somnolent; 



R 



