198 
easy to break a man's head with a reed, 
as that his arm should be broken by the 
wing of a Swan. 
The Swan is said to be very long lived, 
instances are recorded of its sometimes 
reaching the age of one hundred years. 
The flesh of the mature bird is hard and 
ill tasted, but that of the Cygnet is much 
sought after,* 5 and constitutes a splendid 
dish at the tables of the great. They are 
fattened with great care, and during a long 
period, being fed chiefly upon oats or b&r-i 
ley, of which they are said to consume an 
almost incredible quantity before they are 
fit to be killed. 
Swans were formerly held in such esteem 
in England, that by an act of Ed- 
ward the 4th. no one that possessed a free- 
hold of less clear yearly value than five 
marks, was permitted to keep any, except 
the son of our Sovereign Lord the King. 
And by the eleventh of Henry the 7th, the 
punishment for taking their eggs, was en- 
* In this City (Norwich) many of these birds are 
fattened annually by order of the Corporation, and 
sent as presents to di fferent parts of the kingdom. 
