THE WILD SWAN. 
11 
beginning of February. On their arrival, persecution awaits 
them, so that it is not known how long they would remain 
if unmolested. About three weeks is the longest time that a 
flock has been observed. On the 13th or 14th of February, 1848, 
twenty- two birds were seen near Kirkcubbin, by my informant, 
some of which were grey or young birds ; ten which had come 
under his notice there in a preceding year were all white : both 
of these flocks were driven away on the day of their arrival. They 
always alight near the shore, but have not been observed on the 
sea-banks either at high or low water. Odd birds have frequently 
been shot when separated from the flock.* In 1849, four wild 
swans (two white and two grey) were seen, on the 28th and 29th 
of January, far up Larne Lough, above Magheramorne. The 
weather had been mild before their appearance, and was so at 
the time, and afterwards. 
In reference to the last-named winter (1848-49) it may be 
mentioned, that a gentleman staying in the county of Dublin, 
near Bray, at the end of November, heard, on a frosty clear moon- 
light night, the loud hooping cry of swans, and saw two flocks 
consisting altogether of seventeen birds flying very rapidly, the 
one closely after the other. They called so long as within hear- 
ing.! Another gentleman, while waiting, on the 11th of January, 
.1849, at a point near Coolmore, on the borders of Cork harbour, 
to get a shot at some wigeon, had his attention drawn to a flock 
of nine wild swans by their loud calls. These were like a repe- 
tition of the sounds hoo , hoo , and were continued incessantly as in 
the former instance. This cry resembles “ hoop” so nearly, that 
we feel inclined to consider the birds as hoopers ; but the note of 
Cygnus BewicJcii is not very dissimilar, and may be compared to 
the sounds hong-aw-aw , with occasionally one or both of the last 
syllables omitted. 
The Cygnus ferns, as I learned at Islay, Scotland, in January 
1849, comes every winter to that island. Not more than seven 
have been observed in a flock by the gamekeeper at Ardimersy ; out 
* Mr. Francis Rankin, Kirkcubbin. 
t Mr. Robert Taylor (Belfast). 
