THE DOMESTIC SWAN. 121 



swans is merely accidental, and is acquired when 

 the birds are searching for food with their heads 

 under water at the roots of sedges. The im- 

 pregnation is so strong that the feathers will 

 retain the colour for months ; and this has given 

 rise to the erroneous conjecture of its being 

 original. 



Such is the power and size of the swan, that 

 our golden eagle itself will not dare to attack 

 it : much less chance, then, would the white- 

 headed eagle of the United States have in 

 a combat with it. If we can bring ourselves 

 to believe the modern assertion that a swan 

 spreads its legs in order to accelerate its flight, 

 we can easily conceive that, by some magic or 

 other, the eagle may be able to strike its talons 

 into the swan's heart, notwithstanding the bone 

 and the mass of muscle which obstruct access 

 to that deeply-seated organ. The fact is, no 

 bird in the world ever spreads its legs in order 

 to increase the velocity of its flight. Such an 

 act would have the very contrary effect. In 

 flight, the legs of birds (with very few excep- 

 tions) come quite up to the body. In some 

 the toes point forwards, in others backwards, 

 for obvious reasons ; and it is only when a bird 



