The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-22

The Park Swans In winter-FIsh,ipg Swans
Famous Swanrertes.

Naturalist Dineen Is now one OF the busiest
scientific celebrities In town. To a man that
habitunlly obtains his knowledge OF natural
history from observation and not from books
the care OF nine swans and twoscore other
aquatic fow, is q pretty exactine task. but
when the number Of swans is suddenly in.
creased to forty-eiEht. what Is n born natural
it to dop To the average swanherd this
would mean only the cutting OF more cabbage
ana tho dealing out OF more corn; but TO n man
whose Utmost nature demands that he study
whatever natural object Ia set before him 1t Is
more significant. II there IL one thing above
another that this student Of aquatic life con-
tennis 1t is the naturalist OF the chair. The
best otthem have only studied swan life at in.
tervals. and what one Of the whole fraternity
ever had the sole charge Of n %swannory?
IT. not surprising. then. that the naturalist
prlcked up his oars Mt the romark: "You've n
pretty big game Of swans there Game o.
swans. dye say" said he in contcmptuous
accents. II call EN- n fine lot o. burruds."
Naturalist Dineen Is equally neElectful OF
other technical names peculiar to tho swan
nery. and lie would hardly accent "cygnet" as
an equivalent for the young swan IL the
language furnished any other word.
Tho e~xacting preoccupation OF feeding and
caring for the increased flock has prevented
the naturalist from making his accustomed
NV VI uulllC lIe, uHu t1O COlu
snap has made further demands upon his
time aud attention. Winter quarter pond has
an area OF rather loss than halt an acre. and Of
this quito one-half was frozen over soon after
tho cold weather set In. Naturalist Dineen
anu tho hundred water fowl have managed to
lind n few square yards free OF ice. The natu-
rnlist. armed with u long -handled lee hook.
goes out every morning to break up and push
away the ice that has formed during the
night. Thus the fowl have n little space OF
water. in shape much resembling the map Of
Africa. where they swim about. cat. slcep. and
sun themselves when the sky is clear. Feed
ing them at winter-quarter pond is now q
most picturesque and interesting affair. Tho
naturalist drags u great box Of cut cabbage
down to his boat. pushes It out n few yards
into the pond. and throws out the food in
handouts. As he approaches the forty eight
swans head FOR the boat in u sort Of military
order. not with the greed OF common water
o but in silent dignity. as II they were
about to confer n favor upon the Park De-
partment by consuming the food provided for
them. The smaller birds are noisy and
f1ustered. but the swans. for the most part. arc
mute and serene. Tho African widowed con-
sort of the lamcnted jeff Davis does give forth
u sound. and the whoopers. of which there are
his good things. but the great body OF swans
tulcllS Wull utltll INC caDDake Is thrown out,
and arch their conveniently long necks over
Intervening small fowl to get ut the food as it
The African swan is the only one Of the old
game" that has shown enmity to the thirty,
ninSnew eomers. He seems TO have Inherited
Davis Tho pronoun is here used advisedly.
fYr Jeff was named before the mature obser-
fact that she was not. !, male. Her widower
has lived in ]celibacy. faithful to her memory.
ara mas endeiVored to maintain In his own
DeESOn nor Wnrltkp rnnnflftnn. tina nnfnrnliat
frankly admits that Of the rev swans he cam
not distinguiSh male from female. II, the nat
!%inction is easily made by observation OF the
,berry" as the block pro,uberanee ct
e"f o 0as t IS ,l '%s swan IN the nsek ma Is
than in the female. But it wonli be n bold
mtn Of 'r SooH le who sG9 nndn rs Ss,u snlf !. t,rppm9 nssn'
Tho naturalist feels convinced that. should It
be determined to remove the new swans from
speciously, rerorted tHatthe strangers bore the
but Tie NATURALIST says: "Div Hu a ma n'e'Hcif Kin /
see. They're not quite so clean us our swans.
anu S%s them sne Nobody !f can S'f feii 'sm al III apart nsTt spring
swan. @a5ks. Jew Persons i %%SS made sdso any ~
more, priced in Great Britain than they are
swan marks. In those days ~ only only fr rei'eietsa
OF considerable wealth were permitted to
Ilhlntuln swans. ana inc laws tOuchtng tho
rights of swan owners made Up a complicated
Contra! PARK would have iarod III in those 5,
prisoments for the, Staying Of swans. the
stealing OF eggs: md the manning Of cygnets:
swan from her nest might be imprisoned for u
year. The theft OF a swan was punished in
turn the stolen property. but with it lie must
bring as much whea. as would bury The bird
nf n hnllIihD Sn TINT fhn hill ll.npll ippf
touch to ftGH e Srosnd d. ' The a amS mt Of s' the wI lest
forfeited was to he determined by pouring the
should entirely conceal it from bill to toe.
niTphneer royal EnI q, siT an = 1e marx which \, Tat nFipI 8
t RaaS @ew h swa ias.e Is 1S dts Sp OF H HvS op 1ee I,IIs o.
ed ovals. two cut lengthwise and three trans
~versely. some other swan marks were crosses
simple heral1ir devices. Tho swan marks OF
the Winners Company OF London was and is
WIZ TVS rwo N 4. JPfbs etnms an r0 ais h 1,s s siSn.
I cGm Mith 1 EnGllNs acH az t ,Hs S,1 sjeR po Il , u tPhs
represented either in painting or by means
Of n wooden eflgy.. 1t has been conjectured
that the modern sign Is II result oil, a popular
ln iWsn VIII Two az Nl IG .Ao 4 "' Ssw s YSSrt 81 Sea tse
In ostrich feathers. taking a hint, from the
sign a great giIded ostrich with two necks.
The, ROYAL British swannerles are still main;
keep swans on the Thames above London.
on the irst MONDAY o1 August. Inc
was known as the swan tipping. corrupted on
Cockney lips to swan hopping. The Aldermen
OF London, accompanied by many citizens.
used to 90 up the Thames every year 70 the
marked there was q civic banquet. followed by
n dance. The most important British swan
merry now is that OF Lord Leicester on the coast
OF Dorset, where from 700 to ] 200 pairs OF
swans are kept, and have, been since the, DAYS
and among the abbot's seignorial rights was
great English universities have long enjoyed
the right OF keeping swans. and 1t is the uni
yersity swans that help to make picturesque
tho Isis and the Cam.
Four OF Naturalist Dlneen's four dozen
swans are black, a fact that does not seem re-
markabls, now. but which less than u century
ago would have excited skspticlsm. The first
black swans known to modern Europeans
Of the Australasian rivers on Jan. u, 1907. Be-
fore that the tradition that black swans exist
cd was treated with contempt by the learned,
and Dr. Brown, who once took pains 70 dis
10 the normal mans health that he get drunk
once a month";, affirmed that the black swan
must DO classed with the griffin. the cocka-
trice. and the flying horse. as u mythical crea-