THE WILD SWAN. 
9 
Dublin, were completely at a loss to know where the black down 
and such beautiful white down could be obtained.” 
A flock of twenty-seven wild swans was seen some years ago on 
Lough Conn, county Mayo, by Mr. B. Ball, who could not pre- 
vail on any of the fowlers of the district to shoot one, on account 
of a local superstition. A story is told there, and currently be- 
lieved among the peasantry, of something direful that happened 
to a man who had shot a wild swan. 
We might expect these birds to be plentiful amid the wilds of 
Connaught ; but on some of the small inland lakes of the north- 
east of the island also— particularly in Down — they are frequently 
observed, and they remain on them for some time during the 
winter of several successive years. They frequent Lough Oran 
in that county, distant about four miles from JNTewry, where, in 
1844, they made their first appearance on the 26th of January.* 
One which was wounded remained during two or three summers 
on the lake, but eventually recovered so as to join its companions 
on their northern flight. The words of ' Alastor' might have 
been applied to this poor bird, which, 
“With strong wings 
Scaling the upward sky, bent its bright course 
High over the immeasurable main. 
His eyes pursued its flight ! — ‘ Thou hast a home 
Beautiful bird — thou voyagest to thine home, 
Where thy sweet mate will twine her downy neck 
With thine, and welcome thy return with eyes 
Bright in the lustre of their own fond joy !’ ” — Shelley. 
Lough Achery in Down — a narrow river-like lake about a mile 
in length— is often visited by these swans. Dour of a grey colour 
frequented it for a considerable part of the winter of 1844-45, and 
until spring. They were several times fired at from the shore, 
but none were killed. When shot at, they merely swam farther 
out, and did not leave the lake. They were not pursued in boats. 
In the winter of 1847-48 again, wild swans were there. On 
Lough Clay, near Killileagh, Down, a flock of six alighted in the 
first week of February 1848, and one of them was killed. 
* Rev. Geo. Robinson. 
