WH I S T L IN G SWAN*. OR H OO P E R
Cygnus. ferns, Ray. ■
La Cygne à bec jaune ou sauvage.
Occasional visito!
tlie number seen there during that season of tlie year generally bears some
Formerly a few pairs were known to rear their young among the islands of Shetland and Orkney and <
and islands in the parks o f some English noblemen, but it does not, in such situations, associate-mqeh 1
the Domestic Swan, which is the more usual monarch of ornamental waters.
ln e rood ot the Hooper are aquatic plants and insects, feeding- in shallow water i it makes » larg e nes
bird sits six weeks: the voting arc at first of a uniform dark grey, acouiriiisf a white plumage by slow de«1
about the time of completing their second autumn moult, previous to which the dark ante™,,- part of
beak ci not decidedly black; the base o f the beak .xi;hI the Cere are more o f a llysjsy tint than-yellow, and
legs am also lighter in colour than those o f ¿lie old iwrds.
The adult female only differs from the male itf being, smalleri and the neclt is ftiord slender.
111 the adult male the plumage is perfectly white, if we except au occasional tinge of bud-colour on the
of th e iftad > the beak black, the base and cere jeHosfish orange, this etofaiKrmending forwards along
edges of the upper mandible as far as the line o f the .most antemst .'¡¡t/'f ibp nostrils, and postern
sufrou»ding the eyes; irides brown ; the legs and feet black > the wlmSe icii&th-of the bird about fire f<
the breadth with extended wings nearly eight feet. .
The papers of Dr. Latham and Mr. Yarrell in the Transactions of the Lipnean So lely of London, on
organs of voice in birds, contain descriptions and figures of internal peculiarities by which the species
Swans most likely to be confounded may be readily .distinguished.
The Plate represents an adult about one third of the natural .size. ,