_Swan-marks_ (Vol. viii., p 62.).--W. COLLYN'S remark on swan-marks may
mislead; therefore it is worth noting that "the swan with two necks" is
not "a corruption of the _private_ mark of the owner of the swans, viz.
two nicks made by cutting the _neck feathers_ close in two places." The
nicks were made in the _beak_; and the privilege of having swan-marks was
by grant from the crown.
The Vintners' Company's mark for their swans on the Thames was two nicks;
hence a two-nicked swan was a very appropriate sign for a tavern. The
royal swans are marked with five nicks, two lengthwise, and three across
the bill (See Hone's {257} _Every-day Book_, 1827, p. 963; Yarrell's
_British Birds_; Jardine's _Nat. Lib._; _Penny Cyclop._, art. "Swan.") It
is to be noted, however, that Hone is in error in saying the two nicks
are the _royal_ swan-mark.