fteit%» , :
A NSERES. A NAT ID J>„
C ygn u s m u s ic u s , Bechstein.*
THE WHOOPER,
ELK, OR WHISTLING SWAN.
Cygnus ferus.
Cygnus, Bechsteinf.—Beak of equal breadth throughout its length ; higher than
wide at the base; depressed at the point; both mandibles furnished along the
sides with transverse serrated lamellae. Nostrils oblong, lateral, near the middle
of the beak. Neck slender, and very long. Legs short, the hind toe small
and free.
The W hoopee, so called on account of the peculiar note
uttered by this bird, is a winter visitor to the British Islands,
* Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl. iii. p. 830 (1809).
f Orn. Taschenb. ii. p. 404 (1803).
arriving in flocks, which are generally more numerous as the
weather becomes more severe. Low, in his ‘ Fauna Orca-
densis,’ writing about 1774, says, “ The Wild Swan is found
at all seasons in Orkney; a few pairs build in the holms of
the loch of Stenness. These, however, are nothing to the
flocks that visit us in October from the more northern
climates, their summer retreats. Part of these continue
with us all the winter, and the rest go to Caithness and the
other northern shires of Scotland ; in April they go off again
to the northward, except the few which remain here for the
summer. Like the wild geese, these birds fly in the fashion
of a wedge, making a fine melodious clang, which has,
perhaps, furnished one occasion to give a musical voice to
this bird.” The Wild Swan has long since ceased to breed
in the Orkneys ; but in numbers depending upon Hie rigour
of the season, it annually visits the coasts and islands of
Scotland upon its autumn migrations; and, on the return,
in spring, individuals out of the passing flocks have been
observed to linger about the localities which their (presumed)
ancestors found suitable for nesting purposes. In December
various flocks are seen flying in compact bodies, directing
their course southward, particularly along the coast lines,
and specimens are to be seen in the London markets.
Many reach the sea on our southern coast. The late Earl
of Malmesbury sent the Author, in the spring of the year
1838, a list of four hundred and sixteen wild-fowl, killed at
Heron Court during the frost, from January the 9th to
February the 24th; and this list included thirty-three
Whoopers. Colonel Hawker, describing the successful shots
he had made at Swans, when wild-fowl shooting between
Lymington and Poole harbour, says :—“ The Whoopers,
before they have been shot at, are easier of access than
many other wild birds ; and if, when flying, they are fired
at directly under the hollow of the wing, or, when swimming,
through the head, they may be stopped at a reasonable
distance, with a common double gun and small shot; perhaps
even farther than other wild-fowl, as, when struck in the
body, they become helpless from their weight, and their