B E W I C K ' S S W A N.
CYGNUS BEWICKI.
IN his very interesting work ' A History of British liirds, &e.,' Seebohm gives (vol. iii. p. 181) the following
lines referring to the discovery of this S\v;ui:—" Bewick's Swan was discovered by Pallas nearly a century ago,
lint was regarded by the great Siberian traveller as only a small race of the Hooper. Neumann claims to
have rediscovered it early in 1823 in Germany; Tarrcll a year later in the south of England ; and Hancock
in January 1820 iu the north of England."
The following extracts from my notes for 1871 refer to the shooting on lliekliog Breed, in the east of
Norfolk, of one of the few specimens of this speeies f lial I have succeeded in obtaining : —
" March 2. Over Hcigham Sounds and the whole of the Broad early in the morning, and again towards
evening. While in the centre of lliekliog Broad, just alter sunset, a wild Swan alighted on the water about
one hundred yards from the punt, but would not allow our craft within range of the shoulder-gun, and the puutguu
was not on board. After three attempts, I refrained from disturbing the bird, trusting to fall in with it
the following morning when better prepared.
" March :j. Down at the water at daybreak with the punt-gun, and met Nudd, the lttckling keeper, on the
Suuuds, out with bis punt aud gun. He stated that he had heard a Swan that mornim: and also tlio night
before, but, owing to the thick fu^> hanging over the water, he had been unable to discover the bird. On reaching
lliekliog Broad, I made out a thick of fowl, which the natives had declarer) to be Tufted Ducks, on the deep water
near the channel; but directly an attempt was made to scull towards them tliey rose, and after circling round
pitched in the Since corner. I then had the punt worked through the reed-bush ; hut immediately the open
water was reached, at the distance of about one hundred yards, they rose on wing, when I ascertained the Tufted
Ducks wcie Goldcncyes. I had noticed a Swan feeding with about fifty Coots while sculling to the divers, but,
imagining it to be a tame bird, had not attempted to make an examination through the glasses. When the
Goldeueyes rose, I jumped up to obtain a better view, and this movement started the Coots, aud the Swan
also getting on wing, I discovered my old acquaintance of the previous evening. The bird passed at about ninety
yards, when 1 dropped down to the big gun aud fired a charge of Xo. 1 shot; although evidently struck hard,
the small stranger kept on across the open water, then on reaching the dyke towards the Sounds, turned and
settled near the centre of the broad, with about a dozen tame Swans. After loading, we polled well to windward
and then sculled tuwards it in hopes of a shot. The bird, however, uas cxi dii.irly wary, ami continued
swimming before the wind till nearly on shore, when it rose again and flew across Rush Hill till almost out of
sight, when it came round again and alighted in the open water about three hundred yards to windward of
where our punt was stationed. As we happened to be iu close proximity to the pitch of rushes olf Pleasure
Hills, the punt was pushed among the reeds, and the man in charge of our second punt was sent orT with orders
to make an attempt to drive the bird iu our direction. Just as he got round, the keeper, returning from the
Sounds, came up in his punt, and the two boats had no trouble in forcing the bird towards where we were