. Our domestic birds; elementary lessons in aviculture . 227 228 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS it is a good plan to feed swans a little of something else occa-sionally, to attach them to the person who has charge of every one knows who has seen the swans in parks, wherevisitors amuse themselves by feeding them, swans are very fondof bread. They will eat grain also, although, when not accus-tomed to it, they may at first refuse it. Their food is usually giveneither by throwing it on the water or by placing it in troughsfrom which the birds can eat while floating upon the Fig. 178. View of
. Our domestic birds; elementary lessons in aviculture . 227 228 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS it is a good plan to feed swans a little of something else occa-sionally, to attach them to the person who has charge of every one knows who has seen the swans in parks, wherevisitors amuse themselves by feeding them, swans are very fondof bread. They will eat grain also, although, when not accus-tomed to it, they may at first refuse it. Their food is usually giveneither by throwing it on the water or by placing it in troughsfrom which the birds can eat while floating upon the Fig. 178. View of an English swannery The female builds near the water a nest of coarse stalks andsmall sticks. Sometimes this is reared to a height of severalfeet, and material added around the sides, little by little, duringthe whole period of incubation. Swans have been known topile up nearly half a cord of material for their nest. Fromfive to ten eggs are laid in the nest. The period of incubationis six weeks. As far as possible, interference with the birdsshould be avoided during the breeding season and while theyoung are small. When it is necessary to handle them in any SWANS 229 way, the attendant should have at the start all the assistance heis likely to require. A blow from a swans wing may injure aman very seriously. It is said that such a blow has been knownto break a mans thigh. The young are gray when hatched and do not become entirelywhite until two years old. Even then many of them are not ab-solutely white, but show very distinct traces of reddish-yellow,especially on
Size: 1930px × 1295px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidourdomesticb, bookyear1913
