The mute swan is a symbol of beauty and elegance, thanks in no small part to the beloved fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," about an awkward and unsightly duckling who upon growing up discovers he is actually a swan. The proverbial story is often used as a lesson in transformation and the relative nature of beauty. One glance at this swan, seen here holding a feather in a nature preserve in the Netherlands, and it"s easy to see how the idiom "graceful as a swan" came about.
Mute swan
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Moody skies over Valletta
-
Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
-
The story of the poinsettia
-
It’s Canada’s national day
-
Colle Santa Lucia, Dolomites, Italy
-
World Elephant Day
-
The scene of a literary crime
-
National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
-
So, how long till springtime?
-
Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
-
International Polar Bear Day
-
Bask in the glow—It s World Turtle Day
-
My my, it s Syttende Mai
-
Can you see the family resemblance?
-
A river runs through it
-
Group of giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia
-
A misty morning in Brazil
-
50 years of Earth Day
-
World Elephant Day
-
Uncommon clouds are gathering
-
What are we looking at?
-
Fibonacci Day
-
The Easter Bunny’s story
-
The birth of Bauhaus
-
I see one!
-
Craig Goch Dam in the Elan Valley of Wales
-
National Umbrella Day
-
Whales in winter
-
Rice fields at Sapa, Lào Cai, Vietnam
-
World Elephant Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

