48 THE HOOPER. 
ITS HABITS are apparently much those of the Common Swan, 
though it feeds more, and moves about with greater ease, on 
land, but it is distinguishable from this at great distances by its 
loud and musical call, which I have often heard at home, and 
which, though much resembling the word “ hoop,’ “hoop,” 
repeated many times, has, when uttered by a large flock of birds 
of different sexes and ages, and mellowed by the winds and 
waves, a really fine effect. 
These Swans are, I fancy, chiefly vegetarians, feeding mostly 
upon herbs, and their seeds and sometimes flowers, weeds and 
erasses. 
On the whole, this species seems a more northern bird than the 
Mute Swan, their average distribution being, I think, more nor- 
therly. Not only do they live and breed further north, but fewer 
of them go far south, and the bulk of the species do not, except 
in excessively severe winters, go anything like as far south as 
does C. olor. 
THEY BREED as far north as south Greenland, Iceland, and 
the more northerly portions of Europe and Asia, and it is 
believed in Nova Zembla also, and southwards in both conti- 
nents, where sportsmen or dense population have not banished 
them, to between the fortieth and fiftieth degrees of North 
Latitude. 
They build in similar situations to the last species, (but soli- 
tarily and not in flocks,) a similar, but smaller and less massive 
nest, and breed from May to July, according to locality, laying 
from five to seven eggs. 
The eggs are described as similar in shape to, but as averaging 
slightly larger* (4'0 to 4°5 by 2°55 to 2°95,) than, those of the 
Mute Swan, and they are said to be of an uniform, dull, very 
pale, dingy buff, or buffy white, not unfrequently with a fair 
amount of gloss. 
OF COURSE we have no measurements of Indian birds. 
The following are the dimensions of an adult male and adult 
female, recorded in England :— 
Male—Length, 60; expanse, 95; wing, 25°75; tail, 7°5 ; 
bill along culmen, including bare space on forehead, 4°25 ; from 
tip to eye, 5°16 ; tarsus, 4°16 ; weight, 19 lbs. 
Female.—Length, 52; expanse, 85 ; wing, 23°5; tail, 7°5 ; 
bill, as above, 4°5 ; to eye, 4°84; tarsus, 4:0; weight, 16°5 ibs. 
The dimensions of this species vary a great deal, and full- 
plumaged Hoopers are said torangein weight from 13 ibs. 
to 21 ibs. 
The bare space on the forehead and in front of the eyes, and 
the basal portion of the bill, is yellowish to bright yellow ; the 
* They do average, I believe, larger than the eggs of the domesticated o/or, but 
not I think than those of the wild birds. 
