Anas Olor, LINNÆUS; Le gigne, BUFFON; Der Schwan, BECHSTEIN.
Instead of the common name of tame swan, I prefer that of mute swan, in
order to distinguish this from the whistling, also called the wild swan,
but improperly, for in Russia it is more common to have that tamed than
the one under notice. This, however, is found wild throughout most parts
of Europe, and in great numbers in Siberia. In Germany, when a person
wishes to have one on a piece of water, and to keep it there constantly,
he chooses some young ones, and breaks or cuts the first bone in the
wing, to disable them from flying, and consequently prevent their
departing in the autumn with their wild companions.
The swan is larger than a domestic goose, it is four feet and a half in
length, on account of its long neck, which it bends in the form of an S
when it is swimming; it measures seven feet and a quarter from tip to
tip of the wings, and weighs from twenty-five to thirty pounds. The beak
is dark red, having at the base a large black callous knob, and at the
tip something resembling the head of a nail, black, and rather bent; a
bare black triangular streak extends from the beak to the eyes; the feet
are black the first year, lead grey the second, and reddish lead grey at
last; the plumage is a snowy white.
OBSERVATIONS.--The story of its melodious death-song is now quite
exploded; the organisation of its windpipe permits only a slight
hiss, a dull murmur, and a gentle croaking. Song, properly so called,
belongs exclusively to the whistling swan; a poet may have heard it
once, and without observing the difference between the birds, have
attributed it to the common swan. The latter feeds on insects and
aquatic plants; during the winter corn should be given it, and it
must be kept in a temperate place. The female forms a large nest, of
the stalks of rushes, reeds, and other plants, and lines it with
feathers from her breast. She lays six or eight greenish white eggs,
and sits on them five weeks. During this time, the male is always
near her, driving away and pursuing all that would approach. He has
such strength of wing, that a well-aimed blow of it would break a
man's leg. The young ones are at first grey. It is said that swans
will live a hundred years. Their utility as well as their beauty
would merit more attention than is commonly paid to their education,
which is easier than that of geese. Lithuania, Poland, and eastern
Prussia, send several quintals every year to the fair of Frankfort
upon Oder. Many tame swans are also collected on the Sprey, round
Berlin, Spandau, and Potsdam; particularly in May, to rob them of
their down. The skins with the down on them are prepared for
pelisses; powder puffs are also made of it.