Beeton's book of poultry and domestic animals - Thurman Lodge ...

very attentive to the female, assists in making the nest, and,
when a sudden rise of the tide takes place, joins her with great
assiduity in raising the nest sufficiently high to prevent the
eggs being chilled by the action of the water, though sometimes
its rise is so rapid that the whole nest is washed away and
destroyed."
Of its attachment to its young there can be little doubt.
I have often, while boating on the Thames; amused myself
with attempting to get at its nest. The female and male have
always combined to resist the seeming attempt at depredation,
Bailing round and round the boat, and snapping most angrily
at the sculls, seeming to know that they were the priaciple
objects of dread..
The mute swan builds its nest of rushes, reeds, and various
plants ; and lays about six or seven eggs. The amount of food
that should be given to this bird varies, of course, iu proportion
to its own opportunities of foragiug for itself. Says a
good authority :— " When in a great measure dependent on
given food, each will eat the eighth part of a peck of barley
daily ; this may be now and then varied with oats." A writer
in the Poultry Chronicle, above referred to, states that they
relish the sweepings of the pigeon loft, in which the peas and
beans, if thrown into the water at the edge, soon become clean.
He also states that they like a little grass when the lawns
are fiiown, and once a year a wheelbarrowful of watercress.
When the cygnets first take to the water, they may be fed
with oatmeal scattered on the surface.
The other varieties of swans are by no means so common.
The whooper or whistling swan is a native of northern countries,
and in Iceland is a great favourite ; as the cry of the cuckoo
is in this country an indication of the approach of spring, so,
in those cold and cheerleds regions, the cry of the swan ia
hailed as the harbinger of more genial weather. Bewick's
swan is still more uncommon, and also a native of northern
latitudes. The Polish swan bears some resemblance to our
common tame swan, only that the cygnets are white instead
of grey. The black swan is peculiar to Australia and New
Holland, and is a veiy hardy bird, which wiU breed and thrive
well in this country. Some good specimens may be seen in
the Regent's Park grounds.
The Chilian swan is a native of South America ; its plumage
is white, with black, head and neck ; and is rather a
pretty species.