Article: Sir Peter's taste for swan has him fall foul of law

SIR Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queen's Music, is under police investigation after officers raided his kitchen - and discovered he had prepared a dead swan for his dinner.

Sir Peter said he found the electrocuted bird beneath power lines and was planning to make it into a "delicious" terrine.

His menu has not impressed the authorities, however. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which applies across the UK, the whooper swan is a protected species and according to ancient laws only the Queen is allowed to sample the delicacy.

But on Orkney, where Sir Peter lives, a Viking law says swans are the property of the people and not the Crown.

Events began when the composer was in ...

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