The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-25
ALL EYES ON THE BLAcx SWAN
n She Doesn't Sfntcs Out Her Eggs There
WIN he No Cyrpets.


Timothy Dincen is disappointed man. The
cause OF Timothy's disappointment is con-
tanned In this sentence OF his own: only
three OF thin swans hatched, and tho eggs
didn't come to nothing" Timothy is natu-
ralist, but not OF the book and whom ho uses
the word hatch" 1t must be taken a. oquiva-
lent TO sit" Timothy's swans laid their
eggs at various points about the lake In Cen
trail Park. sat on them for the due period OF
forty-odd days. and brought forth nothing
Hall dozen eggs. highly undesirable from
culinary or poultry raisers poiat Of Wow.
were turned over to naturalist who haunts
the Park. and tho hope Of cyEnets for this year
seemed dead. However. the black swan down
In the lower lake, and quito out OF Keeper
Dineon's jurisdiction. laii several egg some
time in June. and the authorities will not de-
spair until the days of her sitting arc ended.
Keeper Dinecn lays all the disappointment
to the wet weather in May. though his enthu
siasm for swanhood IN general. and tor the
Central Park swans in particular. Is bit
dampenod. He specially disapprovcs OF the
boss swans" as they are called, pair of I'M
mense pure white birds that dominate tho
wntor-quarter pond. No swans in tho Park
nre more ostentntiously jealous OF any en-
| croachment upon their nest than this pair.
! and yct they have gone through the farce OF
setting up home for three springs past with
out 80 much as an added egg to show.
The geese have done no better than the
swans this year. and there is not a goslin. to
show for all the most building. Tho ducks,
however have done better. and ton ducklinEs
grace the lake. Ducks. is easy enough" says
| Keeper Dincen: by which he means that tho
matter Of rearing II family Is no such difficult
matter to these commonplace birds as to the
| regal swans
| for the pea fowl. Bat seven OF these creatures
| survive from the time If the blizzard. and OF
@sss dS tMS this d n"E Srons Y
forth three u few weeks ago. Two ot them
were promptly stolen and the third is cred
4 dr. tree an ind 4 r"ostins rlaee for h"rseif.
The other pea family came into tho world only
few days ago, aud since that tine the pea
hen has been industrously hiding her Young
| from their Jealous lat her who has designs upom
.hSr " whsh OF Es shsr
| young. tho male deer and the peacock
Tn nnrtlsafnnt nenMar d the neaepG ns
the cock: and incidentaiiy from tho Keeper
TO the aid q Keeper Dincen;. lle has observed
during ,hirty.nye years OF ATTENDANCE ., upon
hen always lies from her nest and nccompa..
mics her flight with prodigious amount OF
Ws ss has ' laid nm ess
uuaint"d with the feminine, character have
crudey coniectured that the common hen
! cackles upon such occasions by way of advertise
sphcroh has com" to light. and u vast amount
OF masculine scorn has been wasted upon the
supposed feminine vanity ot the hen. AZ II
matter OF fact the hen seldom or never cackles
until she. is we'll clear Of her most. and she
probably intends to attract attention not tot
| fact that She has laid an egg. but TO herself.
md away from the spot where the, egg is laid.
probu bly, with I'll" same design, but as she be-
gins, her cry in rndilight or shortly after she
alights. ohservnnt persons like Keeper Dineen
are able easily to find their way to her nest A
| r"ahcn has made her nest !o1 several years
past Just north OF the Ramhle and on the edge
seventy zen +; ninth ninth street. The nest is nothing
| more than depression IN the high grass lt
| i. however. we'll conceal led from raSsers by.
overhnnGing shrub. and once, in is snugly con.
cealed. not only from the dull eyes OF men, but
from the ke"ner ones OF her Jealous I2rd ~,
he does not know the exact number OF days
that tho peeahcn dcyotes to the Matching OF
| the natural history books. tut he shows touch
Of professional jealousy with regard to such
writing, Why oT ~ IA man Mmo , nnI spent n
wcl-nigh learned the language Of wild geese
! and such. and has definite convictions as Ia
in the matter Of conjugal love. turn for intor-
nation on such subjects to, mere nrinte!
hook -, You see he says 9win to the ,n 1nc,
Just tell when she begins to hatch. and Of
course cant tell how long she's .a-hntchin'
hut t." u notion that it's about four week s
don't have web feet
Keeper Dinern indiscriminately classes boys
and cats as p"rnicious creatures. These
city i. piayin' the deuce. about the Park. an
I'm the boys and
eats few young peafowl reach maturity. ant
ms for Keeper Dineen. if he should catch sigh
of the uncnnny young fellows that Offer pea
cocks at 81 apiece to passssers ny along Fourtl
avenue fellow Fourteenth street he would in
fallibly have them arrested on suspicion