ROYAL SWANS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 February 1935, Page 4

ROYAL SWANS

PRIDE OF ENGLISH WATERS.

From the days of Saxon England the River Thames, wending its way from its source to the ocean, and the great marshy lands spreading back from its banks, have been the home and nesting grounds', of the Royal swan (writes Walter W. Froggatt, in the “Sydney Morning Herald”). The Royal swan is the common or “mute” swan of the waters of the British Isles; it is named “mute’’ because it has not the loud call of the true wild swan. The Royal swan, with its gentle call, is the larger bird. It has a differently coloured bill, and its longer slender neck gives it a more graceful appearance when swimming on the river. These birds give an added be’auty to many estauries and rivers of the British Islps. They congregate on tho River Trent, in the fens of Lincolnshire, and on the Norfolk Broads.

At a very early date they were considered as semi-domesticated birds because, being protected t 4ry landholders who claimed ownership, they were partly reclaimed from a state cl nature, and had lost their fear of man. The earliest record of their ownership is in a mandate of the time of Henry 111. in 1246, regarding their protection. In the reign of Edward IV an Act was passed proclaiming swans’ eggs to be the property of the King. Any unauthorised person removing eggs from the nests, even if on his cwn holding, was liable to a fine or imprisonment, at tho King’s will. The right to mark and to keep s'wans showed a man’s rank and position in the country, for at this period no commoner could register a claim on swans unless he owned land or tenements to the annual value of five marks.

Swans in Old England were much more valuable and important birds than at the present time. Roast swans were served at banquets, and were recognised as one of the regular food supplies. Later the young swan cygnets were fattened and eaten. ' The right of ownership-, of all these free wandering swans led to a remarkable custom. This was the regular mustering of all the swans on the Thames, and the branding of them on tho beak with the owners’ registered marks. When, at this annual muster, it. was found that a pair of swans had mated, each belonging to a different owner, the cygnets were halved, and marked according to the regulations. Most persons, interested in the origin of many obscure names givep to old English inns, have been puzzled by the not uncommon inn title, “The Swan with Two Necks,” an allusion to the registration mark on the bill of the bird. Mr N. F. Ticeliurst recently contributed an interesting article to the journal of the Natural History Society, entitled, “Marks used by swan owners in London and Middlesex.” This is illustrated with 136 outline drawings of the beaks 0“ the swans, stamped with the owners’ .distinctive brands. This mustering and branding of the beaks of the swans might be likened to tho annual mustering and earmarking of lambs on our sheep stations. LARGE HOLDERS OF RIGHTS. ■ Among these swan owners, the Royal Family registered several brands; nine bishops owned flocks, not including convents and abbeys; eight dukes and thirteen earls are in the list of owners, and one hundred and eleven lesser 'nobles and landowners are also registered in the owners’ list. The Vintners’ Association and the Dyers’ Society also exercised swan rights. Swan ownership was important in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and 630 brands were recorded on the rolls between the years 1450 and 1600. Tho King appointed a Master of Swans, and he, with his deputies, was responsible for the well-being of the swans on the Thames. But new interests were developing. The Civil War altered the conditions of life. So, in the year 1600, only 32 names were registered on the swan owners’ roll. In 1793 the ownership of all swans on the Thames was in the hands of the Crown, or else in those of the Vintners and Dyers’ Associations. At the present day they are still the owners of the Thames River swans. At the muster of 19JS7 these numbered 732.

Private ownership of swans extended at one time beyond the Thames to the River Trent and on the eastern coast, as previously mentioned. At the present time the only large private swannery in England is on the banks of the estuary at Ahbotsbridgo. Weymouth, belonging to the Earl of Ilchester. About 1000 swans are protected, and feed and nest on the marsh lands. AC Wells, in the west of England, a very wise old swan found that by pulling a chain hanging from a porch oyer the water surrounding the Bishop of Wells’ palace, a bell would ring, which would draw the keeper’s attention to the fact that it was awaiting breakfast, and that a loaf of bread would be forthcoming. The swan died only a few years ago. But ere the swan died it had taught the habit to its relatives. The white swan found sometimes in parks and on ornamental waters has been introduced into Australia, and it is identical with the Royal swan of tho Thames. The only country iu the world where a black swan has been found is Australia.