Dimensions
Of the male.
Length, total .
Inch.
. 20 0 Length of bill above
Inch. Lin.
. 1 8 Length of middle toe Inch. Lin.
. 2 0 „ of tail 4 0 ,, of bill to rictus . 2 0 »» of its nail . . 0 4
„ of wing . 7 6 ,, of tarsus . . 1 3
— R .
[223.] 1. C ygnos buccinator. (Richardson.) Trumpeter* Swan.
Sub-family, Anserinse, Swains. Genus, Cygnus, Auct.
Keetchee wapeeshew, Cb.ee I ndians.
Ch . Sp . Cygnus buccinator, albus; rostro toto nigro etuberculato, rectricibus 24, pedibus nigris.
Sp. Ch . Trumpeter Swan, white; head glossed above with chestnut; bill entirely black, without a tubercle; tail
feathers 24 ; feet black.
This is the most common Swan in the interior of the fur-countries. It breeds
as far south as lat. 61°, but principally within the Arctic circle, and in its migrations
generally precedes the Geese a few days. A fold of its windpipe enters
a protuberance on the dorsal or interior aspect of the sternum at its upper
part, which is wanting both in the Cygnus ferns and Bewickii; in other respects,
the windpipe is distributed through the sternum nearly as in the latter of these
species f . It is to the Trumpeter that the bulk of the Swan-skins imported by
the Hudson’s Bay Company belong.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen, killed at Hudson’s Bay, and now in the H. B. Museum.
Colour white, the forehead alone tinged with reddish-orange. Bill, cere, and leas entirely
black.
Form.—Bill nearly resembling that of C. ferns in form, though longer and rather more
depressed. Wings: third quill the longest. Tail consisting of twenty-four feathers.__
A specimen, in the Zoological Museum, has the crown and cheeks bright chestnut.
Dimensions.
Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. Length, total . . . 70 Inch. Lin. 0 Length from nostrils to tip 2 7 Length of tarsus . 4 6 „ of tail . . 9 6 „ of bill to rictus . 4 9 ,, of middle toe 5 9 ,, of wing . . 26 0 ,, of bill to eye . 6 0 „ of middle nail . i ot ,, of bill above . 4 11 —-R.
* Lawson observes that there are two sorts of Swan in Carolina, the larger of which is called, from its note, the
Trumpeter; and Hearne adds, “ I have heard them, in serene evenings after sunset, make a noise not very unlike
that of a French-horn, but entirely divested of every note that constituted melody, and have often been sorry that it
did not forebode their death.”
f Mr. Yarrell, whom I have consulted with respect to this species, intends to publish a more detailed description of
the course of its windpipe through the sternum.—R.
+ Dimensions of Cygnus ferus, from Mr. Yarrell.
Inch. Lin. Inch.— Lin. Inch. Lin.
Length, total . . , 60 0 Length of bill above . 4 4§ Length of tarsus . . 4 0
„ of win g . . 25 6 « » o f bill to eye . 5 3 » » o f midd. toe and nail 6 6
[224.] 2. C ygnus B ew ic k ii. (Yarrell.); Bewick's Swan:
Sub-family, Anserinse, Swains.' Genus, Cygnus, Auctor.
Cygnus.Bewickii. Ya r rell. Linn. Trans., xvi., p. 445, Jan. 1830. Selby, Illustr. of Orn., vi., pi. 95*.
Ch . Sp . Cygnus Bewickii, albus, rostro nigro pone nares aurantiaco, rectricibus 18, pedibus nigris.
Sp. Ch . Bewick’s Swan, white, bill yellow at the base posterior to the nostrils, 18 tail feathers, feet black.
This Swan breeds on the sea coast within the Arctic circle, and is seen in the
interior of the fur countries on its passage only. It makes its appearance amongst
the latest of the migratory birds in the spring, while the Trumpeter Swans are,
with the exception of the Eagles, the earliest. It winters, according to Lewis
and Clarke, near the mouth of the Columbiaf. Captain Lyon describes its nest
as built of moss-peat, nearly six feet long and four and three-quarters wide,
and two feet high exteriorly; the cavity a foot and a half in diameter. The
eggs were brownish-white, slightly clouded with a darker tint.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen, killed at Igloolik, lat. 66°, June 19, 1823.
Colour, pure white, except the crown, nape, and superior parts of the neck, which
are deeply tinged with reddish-orange, and the belly, which is slightly glossed with the same.
Bill black ; cere orange (that colour entirely behind the nostrils). Irides also orange. Feet
black—Old birds entirely white, and young ones grey.
F orm.— Second and third quills equal and longest. Tail cuneiform, of eighteen feathers.
Dimensions];.
Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. Feet. Inch.
Length, total . . 55 0 Length of bill above . 3 6 Extent of wing . . 6 1
„ of wing . . 20 6 „ of tarsus . . 3 9 W eight.................13| lbs.
,, of bill to eye . 4 4 i ,, of middle toe and nail 5 3 —R.
* We know not whether we should attribute the first designation of this Swan to our friend Mr. Yarrell, or (as
mentioned by our friends Sir W. Jardine and Mr. Selby) to Mr. Richard Wingate, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We have
not, in fact, perused the whole of the statements on both sides; but as these will come before the public, the question
may be decided by others.—Sw.
f “ The Swans are of two kinds—the large and small. The large Swan is the same with the one common in the
Atlantic States. The small differs from the large only in size and note; it is about one-fourth less, and its note is
entirely different. These birds were first found below the Great Narrows of the Columbia, near the Chilluckittequaw
nation. They are very abundant in this neighbourhood, and remained with the party all winter, and in number they
exceed those of the larger species in the proportion of five to one.”—Lewis and Clarke, Jou/rn., &c.
I From Air. Yarrell’s Paper.