THE SWAN. 
119 
grace. It will swim faster than a man can 
walk. 
This bird has long been rendered domestic ; 
and it is now a doubt whether there be any of 
the tame kind in a state of nature. The colour 
of the tame Swan is entirely white, and it 
generally weighs full twenty pounds. Under 
the feathers is a very thick soft down, which is 
made an article of commerce, for purposes of 
both use and ornament. The windpipe sinks 
down into the lungs in the ordinary manner ; 
and it is the most silent of all the feathered 
tribes ; it can do nothing more than hiss, which 
it does on receiving any provocation. In these 
respects it is very different from the wild or 
whistling Swan. 
