THE MUTE SWAN

A stately fowl is the mute swan. In snowy plumage with arched wings, bent neck, orange bill and black knob on forehead it looks a royal bird. Its looks do not belie it. An act of Parliament of the time of Queen Elizabeth I, declared all unmarked swans property of the Crown. However she gave permission to keep swans and allowed swan marks to favoured subjects. Certain companies of the City of London still have swans on the Thames.

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A PAIR OF MALLARDS

The Mallard or Wild Duck is probably the best known of out smaller water fowl, and has the distinct of being the ancestor of Aylesbury, Runner and such breeds of domestic duck. A token of their ancestry will be seen in the curly tail feathers of the drakes. These smart and saucy tail feathers are the unique distinct of the mallard, who is indeed a lovely little fellow, what with his bottle-green head, white collar, chestnut breast, grey flanks, brownish back and remarkable tail.

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THE MOORHEN

Few birds are more familiar in the English countryside than the dapper Moorhen. It is to be seen on most waters even on the wayside pond. And what a smart creature it is in its dark olive green plumage, set off by some white on its side, its white under tail coverts and its scarlet frontal shield to say nothing of its green legs with bright red garters. It builds a bulky nest at the pond side, cock and hen sharing in the duties of incubating the eggs and looking after the quaint little fluffy black chicks.

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THE BLACKBIRD

The blackbird is one of the best known British birds - its dark shape as it hops about on the lawn seeking worms being a familiar site. The cock with his black plumage orange-yellow bill and orange encircled eye, is a handsome fellow, also a good parent, assisting his mate in finding food for their brood and in the care of the young, which are fed chiefly worms.

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THE HERON

Tall and stately stalks the Heron, a grey shape gliding to the water's edge, to advance a pace at a time through the shallows and scan the current with keen eye. Let a fish come by and with lightening lunge the fisherman has it. He holds it clicking in his bill for a minute, water drops flying then somehow turns it so that it lies with its head down his throat, gives a gulp and swallows it. For a few moments he stands in thoughtful pose, then sips a drop of water and moves to look for the next fish

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THE HERRING GULL

The Herring Gull is one of the best known birds of harbour and shore. Its screams greet alike the trawlers bringing fish to a northern port and the tourists on a southern pier. It is ever ready to snatch a fish from a net or catch a piece of bun thrown by a friend. The adult is a handsome creature in its snowy white plumage with grey mantle, black-tipped wings, pale pink legs and feet, and yellow bill splashed with scarlet, while its red-rimmed lemon eyes are sharp indeed.

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THE COOT

The coot, sometimes called the bald headed coot in allusion to its white frontal shield, is a common bird of our larger pools, lakes and river backwaters. Clad in dark steel-grey, its long toes curiously fringed and lobed, it is perfectly at home on, and under the water. it makes its bulky nest of reeds and rushes in some quiet nook, both cock and hen working hard to build it, sharing not only this labour but that of incubating the eggs and looking after the young. They are devoted parents.

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