Swans, both genera Cygnus and Olor, belong to the family Anatidae, which includes geese and ducks. They mate for life, although couples sometimes separate following a nesting failure. Young swans are known as cygnets from the Old French cygne, from the Latin cygnus, from the Greek kuknōs (swan). An adult male is a “cob.” An adult female is a “pen.”
In the Orient, swans represent gracefulness, nobility and valor. They are also symbolize music. Stories from Siam and Malaysia mention swan maidens.
Li Tzu reported that the Mongols made the Chou Emperor Mu drink swan’s blood.
A Chinese idiom refers to someone who demands an undeserved reward: “You are a scoundrel who wants to eat swan meat.”
I received the following from a Barnett researcher, but I’ve forgotten who it was. If you recognize this write-up, please let me know. Barnett Cemetery is located on what was the original land bought by John I. Barnett in Barnett Township Section 34 and registered in 1831. It is off the road perhaps about 1/4 mile. This cemetery was deeded to the township October 27, 1953 and accepted on...
According to tradition, the first Horne in America was Dutch. His father died in London, his pregnant mother made the rest of the trip to America alone, and delivered her baby in Baltimore. I have not been able to identify this unknown ancestor. The earliest proven ancestor of this family was John Horne (1736-1840), a physician educated at the University of Edinburgh, who came from Carlisle in...
Mitochondrial DNA is long, circular strand of DNA. (Bacterial DNA is also circular.) It is composed of 16,569 smaller units, called base pairs. Each base pair is composed of two nucleotides. There are only four possible nucleotides — adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). Each nucleotide has a complementary nucleotide. So, along the strand of DNA, adenine always appears paired...