Mute Swan

“Cygynus. White Swans. Neck of extreme length. Trachea normally entering sternum. Bill tuberculate or not, the skinny covering in the adults reaching to the eyes; not shorter than head, very high at base, where deeper than wide, broader and flattening toward the rounded end; culminal ridge at base about horizontal, very broad and flat or even excavated, the sides of the bill there nearly vertical. Nostrils near middle of bill, high up. Leg behind centre of equilibrium when the body is horizontal. Tibia bare below. Tarsus shorter than middle toe and claw, entirely reticulate; toes long, with full webs, the anterior reticulate on top for a distance, then scutellate. Hallux small, elevate, with slight lobe. Wings very long and ample. Tail short, rounded or wedged, of twenty or twenty-four feathers. Size large: adults entirely white, with black bill and feet, former usually in part yellow.” Elliot Coues, 1884

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