Natural History of Ireland. 46*3 
characters : In the number of tail-feathers, which in both birds 
amounted to 20 ; * in the irides, those of both birds being blackish 
instead of orange yellow. The feathers on the forehead and region 
of the eyes were white, though the plumage of these parts was of 
a rust colour when the birds were captured. The two preserved 
specimens also have this rust colour about the head, but do not, like 
the immature birds described by Mr Yarrell, exhibit the least ap- 
pearance of it on " the under surface of the belly." This part of 
the plumage being white, hence we may conclude, that the speci- 
mens under consideration were older than those so described by that 
gentleman, and that the head of the C. Bewickii retains the reddish 
plumage for a longer period than the under parts. Mr Yarrell has 
correctly remarked, that the plumage of the C. Bervickii is " ul- 
timately pure white ;" but Sir Wm. Jardine and Mr Selby have as- 
sumed that the ferruginous markings on the head are permanent, 
as they are thus described in their specific characters of this swan, 
" fronte genisque ferrugineo maculatis." In one of the living birds 
there is not even, up to the present time., the slightest appearance 
of a tubercle or knob at the base of the upper mandible. This swan 
seems to be a female ; her neck, whether on land or water, is always 
borne in such a manner as to appear much shorter than that of her 
companion : the yellow of her bill also is of a pale lemon-colour, 
whilst that of the other bird is orange : there are also such other 
differences observable as serve to distinguish the sexes of swans and 
geese in a living state. In conclusion, I shall only remark, that 
these swans were similar in length and breadth, each being 3 feet 
J inches from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail, 
and 6 feet 4 inches across the wings : that the tubercle on the bill 
of the assumed male has not during four years increased in size ; 
and that this ridge of the upper mandible in the assumed female is 
black from base to point, a small patch of pale-yellow, irregular 
in outline, appearing on the sides only of that mandible, about 3 
lines from the base ; the yellow colour is indeed differently disposed 
on the bills of all the four specimens. 
Mr Sinclaire informs me, that every spring and autumn since he 
has had these swans, they have regularly, about the months of 
March and September, become very restless, and for the period of 
at least three weeks, have wandered from the enclosure within which 
they are contented to remain all the rest of the year. In disposi- 
* In the Fauna Bor. Amer. part 2, p. 465, a specimen killed at Iglvolik is 
described as having 18 tail-feathers, and the irides of an orange colour. 
