Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-08-12
Ian ENGLISH SWANNERY.
THE SWAN PARADISE IN THE
LAGOON AT ABBoTSBURY.
An Ancient Haunt for Thousands OF
the Graceful Birds - Fierceness
of Nesting swans.

All ancient nauut ior AhouS"hU' Va
the Graceful Birds - Fierceness
OF Nesting swans.
X LONDON paper (the Specta-
~ tor calls the Fleet, the straight
~ lagoon which runs for nine
miles from the Isle of Portland
to Abbotsbury, behind the barrier of
Chesil Beach, ''the swan PARADISE" and
adds;
The nine straight miles of water be-
low is only the playground of the birds;
but in spring this is forsaken, except by
few pairs that nest ON the inner side
of Chesil Beach; and the rich and
sheltered mead which fringes Abbots-
bury Brook is white with the graceful
forms of thousand nesting swans. In
this their ancient haunt, so ancient that
although the hills behind are crowned
with the ruins of votive chapels and an-
cient monasteries, the swans may claim
for their established home an equal If
not greater antiquity-all the favorite
sites were last week already occupied by
the Jealous and watchful birds, each
keenly resentful of intrusion on its ter
ritory, yet in such close proximity to its
neighbors that space of ten or twelve
feet at most divided it from ground in
"separate aud hostile occupation"
Near the mouth of small stream which
enters the Fleet below close and ex
tensive bed of reeds, now cut down and
stored for the use of the birds when
building, lies the ground most coveted
by the swans. There, between two hun
dred and three hundred nests, or
sites for nests, were occupied on
space of two acres at most. So anxious
are the birds to secure place on this
favorite spot that they remain sitting
constantly on the place when occupied,
in order to maintain their rights against
intruders, and there collect with their
long necks every morsel of reed and
grass within reach to form platform
for the eggs. At this time the swanherd
visits them constantly, and scatters bum
dies of dried reed from the stacks, which
are eagerly gathered in by the swans and
piled round and beneath them as they
sit. These additions to the nest go on
continually; and as the cock-swan takes
his share, or even more than his share, OF
the duties of sitting upon the eggs, one
of the pair is always at liberty to collect
fresh material. This is mainly piled in
kind of wall round the nest, the in
terror being already finished, and often
partly felted with lining of swansdown
from the birds breasts.
To the visitor who, under the guild
ancc of the swanherd, walks on the mar
row grasspaths which wind amid the
labyrinth of nests, the colony recalls
visions OF visits To The island homes of
the great petrels or giant albatrosses in
distant oceans. Many of the swans have
built their nests so that they even en-
croach upon the paths; and each of the
great birds as he passes throws back its
snake like head, and with raised crest
hisses fiercely and rattles the pinions OF
its wings, or even leaves the nest, aud
with every feather quivering with excite
ment, makes as though it would drive
the intruder from the sanctuary. But
the presence of the swanherd generally
treasures the birds, though the Kissing
rises and falls rs if from the throats of a
thousand angry snakes. In view of the
natural jealously aud fierceness of swans
in the breeding season, the comparative
aentleness of the Abbotsbury birds, is
somewhat remarkable. On the rivers
aud broads of Norfolk each pair claim
aud secure large stretch OF water for
their sole use, aud constant aud some
times fatal fights take place If the re-
served territory is Invaded by another
pair. There, also, the swans will occa-
sionally attack not only strangers,
bat the swanherds themselves, who,
owing 10 the extent of the
stream and dykes along which the
swans nest, are, of course, less well
known to the birds than are the keepers
at Abhotsbury. Mr.. Stevenson was told
by John Trett, q marshman OF Surfing
ham, that he was attacked by an old
male swan as he was examining the eggs
in a nest, to which, being boggy place,
he had crawled ON his hands and knees.
The swan, coming up behind him un-
perceived, struck him So violently on
the back lh At he had difficulty in regain
ing his boat, where he laid for some
time in great pain, aud though he min.
aged At length 20 pull home, he was
confined to his bed for more than a
week. Another marshmaa was struck
ca the thigh Ia the same manner, aud
described the force Of the blow and the
pain oecasioned ~ il as something in
credible. The Abbotsbury swans,
though not pinioned like the Norfolk
blds, aud leading a life OF freedom on
the verge OF the sea, seem to know by
instinct that the protection aud safety
which tAey obtain at Abb0tsbufy are
more than enough 20 compensate them
for the loss OF the freedom aud indie
pcudenee which au isolated nesting
place might gives aud with the excep-
tion Of about twenty pairs, they eongFe-
gate a. has been described, abandoning
not oaly their natural instinct foF isola
lion, but also much OF the combaliyeaess
sith which this Instinct Is accompanied,
Fights between the cock swans do occur.
liul the ssanhegd soon restores peace,
Oae line old blrd shieh had quarrelled
With both OF a. neighbors was made
happy hY a scmlerelv VI lamarlsk boughs
sluek ia the earth araund ils aesl, and
~ eleaflF defining IL Territory.