Word: swanherds
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...plant, its 315 acres, its stalls for 1,250 horses. It was all that they expected it to be. In the infield, three lakes in tiers gurgled at one another by means of connecting waterfalls, squadrons of swans were kept in line by a female swanherd dressed in yellow satin. A three-piece swing band furnished the proper notes in the clubhouse bar. Waiters in white jackets provided "curb service" to the boxes, seats were equipped with gadgets to hold glasses and plates right side up during the excitement of the races. There was even a soda fountain for teetotalers...
...swans are extremely aggressive. They can bite and they can kick. They can buffet with their bony wings hard enough to break a man's arm. Yet they must be caught and securely tied in the bottom of the boat before the cygnets can be nicked. To a Swanherd a male swan is not a cock swan, or a drake swan, or even a bull swan: he is a "cob." The female is a "pen." Swift examination shows which is the cob, which the pen. Then the Swanmasters, with pecked fingers (and sometimes with pecked noses) divide the young...
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