and Bewick’s Swans is, that the two most conspicuous colours
on the beak occupy opposite situations in these species. In
the Hooper and Bewick’s Swans, the anterior portion of the
beak is black, the base and the lore to the eye, orange-yellow
; but in our Mute Swan it is the anterior portion of the
beak which is of a rich reddish orange, the base and the lore
to the eye black, with a prominent black tubercle or knob,
on the upper part in front of the forehead, which in old males
attains considerable size.
The Swan is, perhaps, of all others the most beautiful
living ornament of our rivers and lakes. Poets of all ages
and countries have made this bird the theme of their praise,
and by none with more characteristic truth of expression than
by our own Milton, who, in his Paradise Lost, says—
■ 'The Swan with arched neck
Between her white wings mantling, proudly rows
Her state with oary feet.
The male has frequently been styled “ the peaceful monarch
of the lake ; ” but this, 'is his character during part of
the year only; pending the season of incubation, and,rearing
the young, there is scarcely any bird more pugnacious, and
from his great size and power he-is in reality a monarch to
be feared and avoided by all that inhabit his watery domain,
for he drives his weaker subjects in all directions.
The nest, consisting of a large mass of. reeds, rushes, and
other, coarse herbage, is formed on the ground, near the edge
of the water, and an island is generally, chosen rather than
• the bank. The female produces*-six or seven eggs; these
are of a dull greenish white, four inches in length, by two
inches nine lines in breadth. Incubation lasts six weeks,
- during which time the male is in constant attendance upon
the female, occasionally taking her plate upon the eggs, or
guarding her with jealous care, giving chase and battle, if
necessary, to every intruder. So fierce and determined are
they at this time that two instances have occurred in which
Black Swans, though but little inferior to themselves in size,
have been killed by White Swans ; one of these occurrences
which ..took place in the Regent’s Park, is thus related,
“ The two White Swans pursued the Black one with the
greatest ferocity, and one of them succeeded in grasping the
black one’s rieck between its mandibles, and then shook it
violently. The Black Swan with difficulty extricated itself
from this murderous, grasp, hurried on shore, tottered from
the water’s edge a few paces, and fell, to die. Its death
appeared to be attended with great agony; it stretched its
neck in the air, fluttered its wings, and attempted to rise
from the ground: after about five minutes of suffering it
made a last effort to rise, and fell dead with outstretched
neck and wings. Its foes never left the water in pursuit,
but continued sailing with every feather on end, up and down
towards the spot where their victim fell, and seemingly proud
of their conquest.”
I am indebted to the kindness of Lord Braybrooke for the
following account of a female Swan, on the small stream at
Bishop’s Stortford. This Swan was eighteen or nineteen years
old, had brought up many broods, and was highly valued by
the neighbours. She exhibited, some eight or nine years
past, one of the most remarkable instances ;of the powers of
instinct that was ever recorded. She was sitting on four or
five eggs, and was observed to be very busy in collecting
weeds, grasses, &c. to raise her nest ; a farming man was
ordered to take down half a load of haulm, with which she
most industriously raised her nest and the eggs two feet and
a half; that very night there came down a tremendous fall
of rain, which flooded all the malt shops and did great