and, as at this time they rove about outside the Chesil Beach a good deal, going sometimes a long way out to sea, there is no reason they should not do so.  It seems a great pity that these fine birds should be shot when they wander across channel to Guernsey, especially when it must be apparent to every one that they are really private property.  If the present long close season is to be continued, the Mute Swan might well be added to the somewhat unreasonable list of birds in the Guernsey Sea-birds Act; at all events, Swans would be better worth preserving than Plongeons or Cormorants.

138.  HOOPER. Cygnus musicus, Bechstein.  French, “Cygne sauvage.”—­The Wild Swan or Hooper[25] is an occasional visitor to the Channel Islands in hard winters, sometimes probably in considerable numbers, as Mrs. Jago (late Miss Cumber) told me she had had several to stuff in a very hard winter about thirty years ago; some of these were young birds, as she told me some were not so white as others.  Mr. MacCulloch also says that the Hooper visits the Channel Islands in severe winters; and the capture of one is recorded by a correspondent of the ’Guernsey Mail and Telegraph’ for 4th January, 1879, as having been shot in that Island a few days before; it is said to have been a young bird, grey in colour.  The writer of the notice, while distinguishing this bird from the Mute Swan, does not, however, make it so clear whether it was really the present species or Bewick’s Swan; from the measurement of the full length (5 ft. 3 in.) given, however, it would appear that it was the present species, as that would be full length for it, while Bewick’s Swan would be about one-third less; some description of the bill, however, would have been more satisfactory.  It would certainly have been interesting to have had some more particulars about this Swan, as this last severe winter (1878 and 1879) has been very productive of Swans in the south-west of England, the greater number of those occurring in this county of Somerset, however, curiously enough, having been Bewick’s Swan, which is generally considered the rarer species.  Though Swans have been so exceptionally numerous in various parts of England this winter, the above-mentioned is the only occurrence I have heard of in the Channel Islands.

The Hooper is included in Professor Ansted’s list, but marked as only occurring in Guernsey.  There are two specimens in the Museum, one adult and one young bird.

139.  BEWICK’S SWAN. Cygnus minor, Keys and Blasius.  French, “Cygne de Bewick."[26]—­I have very little authority for including Bewick’s Swan in my list of Guernsey birds; Mr. MacCulloch, however, writes me word, “The Common Hooper has visited us in severe winters, and is certainly not the only species of wild Swan that has been shot here.”  In all probability the other must have been Bewick’s Swan, which no doubt has occasionally occurred, perhaps more frequently