540 TRUMPETER SWAN.
gliding ewer and beneath th^-surface of the liquid element with s.urt
prising agility, and grace. Imagine, Readér, that a flock of fifty Swans
aie thus sporting before you, as they have more than onqe .been in my
S|ghti ,aiid you will fe.el, a * I have felt, more happy and void of care
than I can describe.
When swimming unmolested 'the Swan shews the body buoyed up ;
but when; apprehensive of danger, it sinks considerably lower. If resting
and basMng«n the .sunshine, it draws one foot espande! curiously
« » a i d s the back, and in that posture remains- often for half an hour
at a time. When making off swi%, the tarsal joint, or knee ass. i f is
called, if seen about an inch above the water, u-hie.h now in wavelets
passfes over the lower part of the neck and along the side'sjjf the body,
as it undulates on the planksof a y e ^ ^ l i d i n g with a gentle breeze.
Unless*|during ,the., courting season, ¿Sa^hile pa s s ing j ^&jma t e , I
« S t®! # « : a swan with the^wings raised and expanded® it is 411eged
they do,4a profit by the 'brezze that may blow » ins i s t their progress ;
¡UHl,y<;t:l have pursued some in remocs to a considerable distanco, and
that without iovertaking -them,,or even.obliging them to take to wing.
Ynu, «cader, as « ell 'as all the worlds-have seen- « « all* labouring away
on JiBfei and therefore I will not trouble you with a description of their
mode of walking, especially as ¡frigno! nmch-j|.be admired.,» •
: The tli<rlitwfthe Trumpet.Svvan isfirm, at times greatly elevated
and sustained. It passes through the g . by regular beatsKin the same
manner as Geese,-the neefcstretcfed' tjOnlM full length, as are the,jj|et,
which?pr^®tibeyond the tail. When passing low,' I have frequently
thought that I heard a rustline- sound from the motion M the feathers
óf their wmgs. If bound to a distant place, they; form themselves m
angular: lines, and probably the'leader Of the flock is one of the oldest
Of the males ; bjitrfif this I}t@n- not'at all sure, as I haveiseen at the
head of a lino a gjev bird, which must have been a jv>unjr one of that
year.,
This Swan feeds principally In partially immersing the body and
extending the«is«3k under water; iri the maimer of fresh water Ducks
and some species, of Geese, when the feet ani often seen working in the
air, as if to aid in ¡.reserving the balance. Often however it resorts to
the land, and then picks at the herbage, not sidewls«, ;as Geese do, but
more in the manner of Ducks and poultry. Its. food consists, of roots
TRUMPETER SWAN. 541
of different vegetables, leaves, seeds, various aquatic insects, land
snails, small reptiles and quadrupeds. The flesh of a cygnet is pretty
good eating, but that of an old bird is dry and tough.
I kept a male alive upwards of two years, while I was residing at
Henderson in Kentucky. It had-been slightly wounded in the tip of
the wing, and was caught after a long pursuit in a pond from which it
could not escape. Its size, weight, and strength rendered the task of
carrying it nearly two miles by no means easy; but as I knew that it
would please my wife and my then very young children, I persevered.
Cutting off the tip of the wounded wing, I turned it loose in the
garden. Although at first extremely shy, it gradually became accustomed
to the servants, who fed it abundantly, and at length proved so
gentle as to come to my wife's call, to receive bread from her hand.
" Trumpeter," as we named our bird, in accordance with the general
practice of those who were in the habit of shooting this species,
now assumed a character which until then had been unexpected, and
laying aside his timidity became so bold at times as to give chase to
my favourite Wild Turkey Cock, my dogs, children, and servants.
Whenever the gates of our yard happened to be opened, he would at
once make for the Ohio, and it was not without difficulty that he was
driven home again. On one occasion, he was absent a whole night,
and I thought he had fairly left us; but intimation came of his having
travelled to a pond not far distant. Accompanied by my miller and six
or seven of my servants, I betook myself to the pond, and there saw
our Swan swimming buoyantly about as if in defiance of us all. It was
not without a great deal of trouble "that we at length succeeded in
driving it ashore. Pet birds, good Reader, no matter of what species
they are, seldom pass their lives in accordance with the wishes of their
possessors; in the course of-a dark and rainy night, one of the servants
having left the gate open, Trumpeter made his escape, and was never
again heard of.
With the manners of this species during the breeding season, its
mode of constructing its nest, the number of its eggs, and the appearance
of its young, I am utterly unacquainted. The young bird represented
in the plate was shot near New Orleans, on the 16th of December
1822. A figure of the adult male you will find in Plate CCCC VI ;
and should I ever have opportunities of studying the habits of this
noble bird, believe me I shall have much pleasure in laying before you