Swans Author:J.J. McCoy Graceful, courtly and intelligent, swans have been regarded with delight and awe for centuries. — Their proud sense of privacy, their great strength, and preference for cold climates have helped them to sustain their aura of mystery and made it difficult for naturalists to study their life patterns. However, over the years scientists have traced... more » the swan from the Arctic to the Ant=arctic and from the Far West to the Far East, finding the legendary Black swan in Australia and the puzzling "Swoose" (which may someday be called a goose)in South America.
This book, with its detailed descriptions of each of the eight swan species at birth and in maturity their habitats, migration patterns, nesting habits, diets and appearance on the water and in the air is one of the most complete works on swans av available to young readers. Yet the wealth and density of the information never seem to be mere cataloging, for the author's love of his subject is always evident.
In a special chapter on swans as birds of legend and inspiration, he shows how the gentler, finer side of man's nature has responded in mythology, legend, poetry, music, and ballet to the elegance of the swan. and throughout he stresses the need to conserve these beautiful birds especially in the chapter on our majestic Trumpeter swans, which were saved from the threat of extinction by the establishment of the Red Rock Lakes Refuge in 1935.« less