366 
THE SWAN. . 
Besides the Swans above mentioned, there is another 
peculiar to Australia or ~Ne w Holland, entirely black ; hut, 
as they are tolerably hardy, it is not improbable that they 
may, in the course of a few years, be naturalized in Eng- 
land, and form an additional ornament to the rivers and 
lakes of our parks and pleasure-grounds. We have already 
noticed the peculiar manner adopted by young Coots for 
concealing themselves under water ; and it has been ascer- 
tained, by those who have had opportunities of observing 
the habits of the Black Swan in its wild and natural state, 
that although it cannot dive, it contrives to immerse itself 
so deep in the water as to render its body nearly invisible, 
and thus avoid detection. 
We have already noticed the trade carried on in Goose 
quills ; those of Swans being of course proportionably larger, 
and less common, are still in request, and preferred by some ; 
consequently a considerable number find their way into the 
market, and fetch high prices. One of the principal sources 
of this trade is on the coast of the Black Sea, at its north- 
western extremity, in the neighbourhood of Kinbourn, a 
Bussian fortress, nearly opposite to Oczakof, at the point of 
a tongue of land, deeply indented with creeks and bays ; 
and, as the country round is but thinly inhabited, wild 
birds abound. Amongst others, it is thronged with Swans, 
which select the long sandy headlands for the site of their 
nests. They assemble in numerous flights about these 
creeks, . during the breeding season. Aware of this, the 
people who collect their feathers start in pursuit of them, 
the old birds being then busy hatching and breeding their 
young. The feathers are drifted on shore by the tide, and 
collected. The produce is sold to dealers, who come from 
the neighbouring towns of Oczakof and Cherson, and eagerly 
bid against each other. Sometimes the quills will fetch as 
much as three pounds per thousand, though the usual price 
does not exceed twenty- two shillings. They are also an 
article of trade amongst the people of the Crimea, who live 
near extensive morasses and marshes, as well as the peasants 
on the coast of the Sea of Azof, in the direction of 
Marapot. 
