Black swan

“ A Black Swan is no longer a “rara avis.” The species (Cygnus atratus) belongs to New Holland and Tasmania, and is of the same size as the common swan. His plumage is wholly black, with the exception of the primary pens, which are white; his beak is red, and so is the featherless skin surrounding it at the base. He has been successfully acclimatized in Europe, and ornaments the lakes and streams of many English parks. ”

“ The black swan can hardly be called a game bird, but it is shot on all the lakes and swamps along the southern coast. In the Gippsland lakes it is not an uncommon thing to find thousands of swans in a single flock, and when these rise for a flight, striking the water with feet and wings, the noise can be heard for miles across the lake. When means have been taken to get rid of a rather rank flavour, just as the taste of the gum-leaves is removed from opossum flesh, the swan is occasionally eaten as game. ”

“ The nest is a collection of reeds, and in this the female swan lays five or six eggs of a whitish-grey colour, and a little smaller than those of our white swan.
The black swan is rather strong upon the wing, and, when flying, it frequently utters a musical cry. But, being a heavy bird, its flight is very exhausting, and it appears to have more confidence in its webbed feet than its wings. It is said that when it is startled it tries to escape by swimming, if it can, rather than by taking flight. ”

“ Nine species are known. The American swan (C. americanus) breeds in the northern parts of North America, but its winter migrations extend only to North Carolina. The trumpeter swan (C. buccinator) is another American species, breeding chiefly within the Arctic Circle, but of which large flocks may be seen in winter as far south as Texas. Australia produces a black swan (C. atratus) , discovered towards the end of the eighteenth century, rather smaller than the common swan, the plumage deep black, except the primaries of the wings, which are white. The eye is red. ”

“ When therefore black swans arrive from Australia to upset his dogmatizing, what is he to do? Will he say his major premise was a definition, and no bird, however swan-like, shall be called a "swan" if it cannot pass his color-test? If so, his reasoning is still caught in the old dilemma, that he either "proves" nothing new or begs the question in another way. For he then had no right to assert his "minor premise", this bird is a swan, if he knew not it was white. ”

“ Black swans have white wings, though as they are nearly always pinioned here, a stupid habit which our people have learnt from the ancient and time-honoured brutality of "swan upping," we never see them flying. They are then very beautiful objects, with their plumage of ebon and ivory.
In Australia they begin to lay in October, and the young are hatched and growing in January. They are very prolific birds, laying from five to eight light-green eggs with brownish buff markings. Some years ago a splendid brood of six jolly little nigger cygnets were hatched out by the black swans at Kew. ”

“ Some of our party thought they saw both an emu and a black swan amongst the bushes on the banks of the river. In some parts of the north coast we have certainly noticed marks on the sand like the impressions of an emu's foot, but as we have never seen the bird it is probable that we have mistaken them for the traces of the Ardea antigone. Black swans we have never seen at all within the tropic and it is equally likely that in this instance we may have also been deceived by the appearance of a bird of similar size and plumage. On the return of the boat two alligators swam past it. ”

“ The mute swan can never have been so great a musician as some of his brethren, since the French horn which he carries in his breast-bone is not nearly so well developed as it is in either the hooper or the black swan. ”

“ Sometimes it occurs in such numbers that flocks of many hundreds can be seen together, particularly on those arms of the sea which, after passing the beachline of the coast, expand into great sheets of shallow water, on which the birds are seldom disturbed either by the force of boisterous winds or the intrusion of the natives. In the white man, however, the black swan finds an enemy so deadly, that in many parts where it was formerly quite numerous it has been almost, if not entirely, extirpated. ”

“ In this handsome species the head and neck are black, and the remainder of the plumage white; the lores, or bare patches in front of the eyes, and the basal portion of the beak being red. In its long and wedge-shaped tail the black-necked swan differs from the black species and resembles the ordinary European mute swan (C. olor) , from which it is structurally distinguished by the scalloped margins of the webs of the toes. The adults of all swans, except the black and the black-necked species, are wholly white ”

“ Some peoples’ appetite for gammon is insatiable. Fancying they eat brawn, they often find themselves devouring cats and dogs. This was our thought on Tuesday night as we entered the Melodeon, with a fear that we might retire in disgust, as we had done on the previous evening from the exhibition of a clumsy mountebank who had undertaken to ape Macallister. But it was not the case on this occasion of the début of Miss Greenfield, the ‘Black Swan,’ so absurdly cognominated. We say absurdly—for swans are never black, neither do they sing. ”

“ A swan exercises on me something of the same fascination that a camel does; though far be it from me to compare the two in grace. They are both full of character, and both preserve a strictly critical attitude toward the human race. In the case of the swan, nature has perhaps dealt unfairly with him, for the curious little black cap, at the junction of bill and head, technically known as the "berry," gives him a fixed expression which he has no power to alter, even if he felt beaming with good humour. ”

“ The swan is white without a daily bath, and the raven is black without dyeing itself. When the pond is dry and the fishes are gasping for breath it is of no use to moisten them with a little water or a little sprinkling. ”

“ Speaking of colours, we own up to something of a mixture, having been born Gray, but the “True Democrat” says that coloured people are a leetle ahead of white people.
Plain Dealer, March 26, 1852.
The advent of the Black Swan was the signal for prolonged applause. She is a woman of graceful stature, with a face of intelligence and gentleness, modest and tasteful in her dress, and an easy carriage. She looks confidently to the audience, as if trusting to their unbiassed judgment. Her first song, “Sweetly o’er my Senses Stealing,” gives a fair idea of her flexibility and tone. ”

“ Miss Elizabeth Greenfield, better known in America as the “Black Swan,” under which sobriquet she is also about to be presented to the British public. This lady is said to possess a voice embracing the extraordinary compass of nearly three octaves; and her performances on this occasion elicited the unmistakable evidence of gratification. She is, without doubt, deficient in science and cultivation, but she displays remarkable intelligence, and is gifted with feeling and the capacity of conveying it to her auditors. ”

“ It seems probable, however, that this is what may be called a social excitement, due to the anxious cries of the migrating birds; a view supported by the fact stated by Marcel de Serres, that the black swan of Australia, when domesticated in Europe, sometimes joins wild swans in their northward migration. We must remember too that migration at the proper time is in many cases absolutely essential to the existence of the species ”

“ The profusion of wild life upon the coasts and islands explored during the voyage astonished the travellers. Seals were seen in thousands, sea-birds in hundreds of millions. Flinders' calculation regarding the sooty petrels has already been quoted. Black swans were observed in great quantities. Bass, for example, stated that he saw three hundred of these stately birds within a space a quarter of a mile square. The Roman poet Juvenal could think of no better example of a thing of rare occurrence than a black swan:
"Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno." ”

“ The swan just spoken of is by some naturalists named the mute or tame swan, to distinguish it from one to be presently mentioned, but it is the swan simply of the English language and literature. Scientifically it is usually known as Cygnus olor. Its large size, its spotless white plumage, its orange-red bill, surmounted by a black knob (technically the “berry”) larger in the male than in the female, its black legs and stately appearance on the water are familiar, either from figures innumerable or from direct observation, to almost every one. ”

“ Black Swan. She appears to be a gentle, amiable, and interesting young person. She was born the slave of a kind mistress, who gave her every thing but education; and, dying, left her free with a little property. The property she lost by some legal quibble, but she had, like others of her race, a passion for music, and could sing and play by ear. A young lady, discovering her taste, gave her a few lessons. She has a most astonishing voice. C. sat down to the piano and played while she sung. Her voice runs through a compass of three octaves and a fourth. ”

“ Altogether the most artistic performance in the sphere of music, we recollect ever having attended in this town, was given on Thursday evening by Miss Elizabeth Greenfield, alias the “Black Swan.” Her voice possesses wonderful compass, is very rich, and is skilfully trained. She is a most surprising vocalist, considered in whatever respect. The violin performance, by Mr. Schmittroth, brought out tones more astonishing than people in general supposed pine, catgut and rosin capable of producing. ”

“ In respect to the “Swan’s” claims as a vocalist, we do not deem it worth while to go into any criticism.
Boston Daily Times and Bay State Democrat, February 6th, 1852.
The Black Swan’s second concert at the Melodeon, last evening, was attended by a large and fashionable audience. Miss Greenfield was evidently in better voice than on the night of her first concert, and, it was generally admitted, sung better. She was enthusiastically encored several times, and enthusiastically applauded in every piece. ”

“ Among the web-footed birds, the swan is the first in order; it only differs from the European one by its neck; which is of a velvet black, and makes an admirable contrast with the whiteness of the rest of its body; its feet are flesh-coloured. ”

“ The Black Swan,—This noted songstress, whose extraordinary musical talent has created so much interest and enthusiasm among distinguished musical critics, and appreciating audiences, in various cities, will give one of her attractive entertainments at Horticultural Hall, this evening. The rare talent, and the novelty of her performances can hardly fail to draw a large and fashionable audience. ”

“ The bill of the swan is broad, and pointed like that of the goose, but a little longer. Below the eyes, and at the base of the bill, a narrow band of black extends across the front of the head.
5. The swans run in pairs. The mother swan lays from five to eight eggs, and hatches them in six weeks. The young swans are called cygnets. They are covered with down, and are able to walk and swim when first out of the shell.
6. The father swan watches the nest, and helps take care of the young ones. He will fly at anything that comes near, and he is able to strike terrible blows with his wings. ”

“ Was there ever a nobler bird than that great black-necked Swan, that sings not at his death, but in his flood of life, a song of home and of peace—of stirring deeds and hunting in far-off climes—of hungerings and food, and raging thirsts to meet with cooling drink. ”

“ True, this golden friendship is not a common thing to be picked up in the street. It would not be worth much if it were. Like wisdom it must be sought for as for hid treasures, and to keep it demands care and thought. To think that every goose is a swan, that every new comrade is the man of your own heart, is to have a very shallow heart. ”

“ It will not be the first time that the verdict of this city in matters musical, has been responded to by the world. The price of tickets is one dollar; and all must see the propriety of this charge, in a singer who has to combat the most crushing and the common contempt of another race—the race too, from whom she must receive her patronage and support. The Black Swan must contend for the highest prize, and sing for the best price, or she falls below even the second rank. ”

“ This bird, which has now become so common in our ornamental waters, in some respects resembles the White species; it is all black, except a few of the secondary feathers, which are white. In a state of nature, the Black Swans are generally seen in flocks of eight or nine floating on lakes. When disturbed, they fly in single file, and are so shy that it is very difficult to get within gunshot when in captivity. ”

“ Already the hedgerows were disappearing, while an avenue of elms rising mysteriously out of a lagoon was the sole indication of a road she had passed on her way to church. A swan and cygnets were now sailing upon it, with darker and less distinguishable objects tossing around. A bed of osiers seemed to be in its natural element as it rose from the waters that islanded a farm. The black, snow-powdered barn looked like the upturned hull of some squat galleon, and the haystacks thatched as with hoar-frost had the air of cliffs crumbling before the sea. ”