by the line of the
Mississippi, to the marshy shores of the Mexican Sea.

It may be remarked that this last-mentioned species--the Trumpeter--is
rare upon the Atlantic coast, where the common swan is seen in greatest
plenty. Again, the Trumpeter does not appear on the Pacific or by the
Colombia River, where the common swan is met with, but the latter is
there outnumbered by the small species (_Cygnus Bewickii_) in the ratio
of five to one. This last again is not known in the fur countries of
the interior, where the _Cygnus Americanus_ is found, but where the
Trumpeter exists in greatest numbers. Indeed the skins of the Trumpeter
are those which are mostly exported by the Hudson's Bay Company, and
which form an important article of their commerce.

The swan is eagerly hunted by the Indians who inhabit the fur countries.
Its skin brings a good price from the traders, and its quills are
valuable. Besides, the flesh is a consideration with these people,
whose life, it must be borne in mind, is one continuous struggle for
food; and who, for one-half the year, live upon the very verge of
starvation.

The swan, therefore, being a bird that weighs between twenty and thirty
pounds, ranks among large game, and is hunted with proportionate ardour.
Every art the Indian can devise is made use of to circumvent these
great birds, and snares, traps, and decoys of all kinds are employed in
the pursuit.

But the swans are among the shyest of God's creatures. They fly so
rapidly, unless when beating against the wind, that it requires a
practised shot to hit them on the wing. Even when moulting their
feathers, or when young, they can escape--fluttering over the surface of
the water faster than a canoe can be paddled.

The most usual method of hunting them is by snares. These are set in
the following manner:--

A lake or river is chosen, where it is known the swans are in the habit
of resting for some time on their migration southward--for this is the
principal season of swan-catching.

Some time before the birds make their appearance, a number of wicker
hedges are constructed, running perpendicularly out from the bank, and
at the distance of a few yards from each other. In the spaces between,
as well as in openings left in the fences themselves, snares are set.
These snares are made of the intestines of the deer, twisted into a
round shape, and looped. They are placed so that several snares may
embrace the opening, and th