60 
FRANK FORESTER’S FIELD SPORTS. 
but three of them feeding together, one will generally be on 
guard, and when danger approaches there is some mute sign of 
alarm, for I have never heard a sound at such times. 
“ However much noise has been made before, the instant an 
alarm occurs there is perfect silence, their heads are erected, a 
moment’s examination determines their course, when, if the case 
be not too urgent, they depend on swimming if escape be neces¬ 
sary. They rarely fly even from the pursuit of a boat, unless 
very closely followed, and when they do arise from the water, 
either for escape or from choice, it is generally with a scream, 
and when alighting particularly among others, there is usually 
a * how dye do’ sort of expression on all sides. Even when 
wing-broke they can swim with great rapidity, and if not other¬ 
wise hurt, a single oarsman in the best constructed boat, can 
rarely overtake them. 
“ Whilst feeding and dressing, Swans make much noise, and 
through the night their vociferations can be heard for several 
miles. Their notes are extremely varied, some closely resem¬ 
bling the deepest base of the common tin-horn, whilst others 
run through every modulation of false note of the French-hom 
or clarionet. Whether this difference of note depends on age or 
sex I am not positively assured. 
“ The Swan requires five or six years to reach its perfect ma¬ 
turity of size and plumage, the yearling cygnet being about one- 
third the magnitude of the adult, and having feathers of a deep 
leaden color. The smallest Swan I have ever examined, and it 
was killed in my presence, weighed but eight pounds. Its 
plumage was very deeply tinted, and it had a bill of a very beau¬ 
tiful flesh-color, and very soft. This cygnet, I presume, was a 
yearling, for I killed one myself the same day, whose feathers 
were less dark, but whose bill was of a dirty-white; and the bird 
weighed twelve pounds. This happened at a time when my 
attention was not turned scientifically to the subject, and I have 
forgotten the other singularities of the specimens. By the third 
year the bill becomes black, and the color of the plumage less 
intense, except on the top of the head and the back part of the 
