blood, with which they had
been gorging themselves, was spread in broad flakes over its snowy
plumage. The eagles themselves, scared by the dog Marengo, had taken
flight before the boys could get within shot of them.

As it was just the hour for a "noon halt" and a luncheon, the swan was
carried to the bank of the river, where a crackling fire was soon
kindled to roast him; and while this operation was going on the
"naturalist" was requested by his companions to give them an account of
the "swans of America."

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE SWANS OF AMERICA.

"Very well, then," said Lucien, agreeing to the request. "I shall tell
you all I know of the swans; and, indeed, that is not much, as the
natural history of these birds in their wild state is but little
understood. On account of their shy habits, there is not much
opportunity of observing them; and as they annually migrate and breed in
those desolate regions within the Arctic circle, where civilised men do
not live, but little information has been collected about them. Some of
the species, however, breed in the temperate zones, and the habits of
these are better known.

"For a long time it was fancied there was but one species of swan. It
is now known that there are several, distinguished from each other in
form, colour, voice, and habits. `White as a swan,' is a simile as old,
perhaps; as language itself. This, I fancy, would sound strangely to
the ears of a native Australian, who is accustomed to look upon swans as
being of the very opposite colour, for the black swan is a native of
that country.

"According to the naturalist Brehm, who has given much attention to this
subject, there are four distinct species of swans in Europe. They are
all white, though some of the species have a reddish orange tinge about
the head and neck. Two of them are `gibbous,' that is, with a knob or
protuberance upon the upper part of the bill. One of these Brehm terms
the `white-headed gibbous swan' (_Cygnus gibbus_). The other is the
`yellow-headed' (_Cygnus olor_); and this last also is known as the
_mute_ or _tame_ swan, because it is that species most commonly seen in
a tame state upon the ornamental lakes and ponds of England. The other
two European species Brehm has designated `singing swans,' as both of
them utter a note that may be heard to a considerable distance.

"The black swan of Australia (_Cygnus niger_) has been naturalised in
Europe, and breeds freely in