h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Black Swans - A88046346
Author: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor - U128652

A Cleethorpes superstar for your delight.

GB

A perfect entry, of course - the pictures, too.

What would an albino black swan be called ?

One thing I was wondering - if black swans weren't indigenous to Europe, how did the black swan get into the folk tale on which Swan Lake was based? At least according to Wikipedia this is the origin of the story. The tales are from the 18 th century at least.

Presumably the black swans from Australia were first introduced to England and would only have become known on the continent at a later date.

Then again, the black swan in the old stories may simply have been mythological and/or symbolic.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake

Excuse my ramblings. You are entitled to just write about the real animals and keep it at that.

Good entry, GB.

THere's something off about this sentence:

"The black swan symbol has appeared on postage stamps of various places such as Christmas Island and Cuba, as well as Western Australia, and it is also on their state flag."

Normally a phrase like "as well as Western Australia" surrounded by two commas can be left out without changing the meaning, but in this case we'd get:

"The black swan symbol has appeared on postage stamps of various places such as Christmas Island and Cuba and it is also on their state flag."

So it is not entirely clear whose state flag has the swan on it.

G

I have tweaked that sentence previously Gnomon, but I'll have another go at it

My interest in ballet is zero I'm afraid TC, I didn't even know it was a black swan in Swan Lake, sorry!


Thanks for reading, both, glad you enjoyed it TC.

TC there's a story here about a white version of a black swan which isn't an albino but an aberration http://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-08/injured-swan-found-shot-in-tasmanian-great-lakes/100119666 it's not a pleasant story but it's recovering after its injuries.

I have added a section on white-feathered black swans now

Lovely Entry with superb photos - thanks GB

Just one bit that needs care:

"white swans, which are somewhat larger than their antipodean relatives." - there are three types of white swan in the UK. Mute Swans and Whooper Swans are bigger, but the Bewick's Swans are about the same size as Black Swans.

"a mute white swan" - maybe "a (white) mute swan" or "a white swan (a mute swan)"

Thanks Sasha!

I've fixed that



GB

Anything else required here, please?

Just thought I'd mention that there are black swans in Southampton's Riverside Park, so I see them quite often.

<BB<

This is a great story, and of course the pictures add to the enjoyment!

Thanks Dmitri

Thanks BB, I have added Southampton's Riverside Park now

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