. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1996 Cranmer-Byng: A Life with Birds 35. Five members of the Great Lakes Ornithological Club at club's "shack" near the end of Point Pelee, 3 October 1909. Left to right: J. S. Wallace, B. H. Swales, W. E. Saunders, J. H. Fleming, P. A. Taverner (seated on steps). (Reproduced courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Nature, number 60386.) After two years of searching the two men had made some progress but realized that they would have to make a major breakthrough if they were to write a satisfactory study of the swans. Fleming put his hope in finding a spec
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1996 Cranmer-Byng: A Life with Birds 35. Five members of the Great Lakes Ornithological Club at club's "shack" near the end of Point Pelee, 3 October 1909. Left to right: J. S. Wallace, B. H. Swales, W. E. Saunders, J. H. Fleming, P. A. Taverner (seated on steps). (Reproduced courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Nature, number 60386.) After two years of searching the two men had made some progress but realized that they would have to make a major breakthrough if they were to write a satisfactory study of the swans. Fleming put his hope in finding a specimen of a Trumpeter in a private collection while Taverner pinned his faith in collecting a lot more sterna. By a stroke of luck for Taverner this is just what happened. On March 15th 1908, on a misty morning with a wind blowing downstream, the water below the Niagara Falls on the Canadian side was suddenly full of struggling swans. At least 125 birds were dragged out of the water while many more were swept ;^ Eventually Fleming secured thirty-three swans which were taken to Oliver Spanner's taxidermy shop in Toronto. A series of measurements were made including weights, and Taverner took drawings of all the variations in the beaks. Taverner included in his Journal for this period a short note on each bird to add to his growing collection of swan ;^ When they had all been skinned not one of the thirty- three dead birds was found to be a Trumpeter Swan. Fleming and Taverner had devoted a considerable amount of time over a period of nearly three years to a comparison of the two swans native to North America. In the end Fleming discovered a hitherto unknown specimen of a proven Trumpeter Swan in Toronto which eventually was added to his collec- tion, and is now preserved in the form of a skin in the Department of Ornithology at the Royal Ontario ;''Taverner developed skill in drawing soft parts of birds and their bills. The experience he gaine
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