They are kept by the curious in various parts of England, and are more noisy than the common goose; nothing can stir either in the night or in the day, without their sounding the alarm, by their hoarse cacklings, and loud shrill cries. They breed with the common goose, and their offspring are as prolific as those of any other kind. The female is of a smaller size than the male; the head, neck, and breast are fulvous; paler on the upper part; the back, wings, and tail, dull brown, with pale edges; belly white; in other respects they are like the male, but the knob over the bill is smaller.—Bewick.
Sward, s. The skin of bacon; the surface of the ground.
Swarm, s. A great body or number of bees or other small animals; a multitude, a crowd.
Swart or Swarth, a. Black, darkly brown, tawny.
Sweepnet, s. A net that takes in a great compass.
Sweepstake, s. A man that wins all; a prize at a race.
Swift, a. Moving far in a short time, quick, fleet, speedy.
Swift, (Cypselus murarius, Temminck,) s. A bird like a swallow.
This species is nearly an ounce in weight: length near eight inches: breadth about eighteen; the bill is black; irides dusky; the whole plumage is black, except the chin, which is whitish; the wings are extremely long in proportion, and the legs so short that it rises from the ground with difficulty; the tail is forked; legs and toes black. It has four toes, all placed forward. In this particular it deviates from one of the characters of the swallow genus.
In very warm weather these birds soar to a great height, but in cold or moist weather fly low in search of flies and other winged insects, which at that time cannot ascend.—Montagu.