NATURAL TRUMPET OF THE CRANE. 139 



by an eagle, or the wind is likely to break their order, they close in 

 circles. Their passage frequently takes place during the night, which 

 is known by their sonorous voice, which announces it; and the head 

 of the troop often utters, to indicate the route he is taking, a cry of 

 appeal to which all his followers answer. Their voices, even on these 

 nocturnal voyages, are exceedingly loud probably owing to the 

 length of the windpipe and the convolution near its bronchial ex- 

 tremity. When they cry during the day they are generally understood 

 to forebode rain, as is the case with the cries of many other birds 

 which feed partially on those worms which the approaching humidity 

 brings to the surface not only when the rain actually falls, but when, 

 from the changed state of the air, the evaporation is much diminished. 

 When they are peculiarly noisy and tumultuous, and fly near the 

 ground, occasionally alighting, it is considered as a pretty certain in. 

 dication of a tempest. On the other hand, when they rise high, and fly 

 onward in regular order, it is regarded as a sign of fine weather." 



That great observer, Virgil, has used the simile of cranes in flight 

 in a grand passage in the tenth "iEneid," to give an idea of tine Greeks 

 and Trojans charging each other in the battle-field : 



" . . . . Clamorem ad sidera tollunt 

 Dardanidaa e muris : spes addita suscitat iras : 

 Tela manu jaciunt. Quales sub nubibus atris 

 Strymonia) dant signa grues atque sethera tranant 

 Cum sonitu, fugiuntque Kotos clainore secundo." 



[The Trojans, from their walls, raise acclamations to the stars. Ad- 

 ditional hope rouses up their fury. Darts from their hands they hurl, 

 as under the black lowering clouds Strymonian cranes give the signal 

 and swim along the skies with obstreperous din, and from the stormy 

 south winds with joyous clamor fly.} 



I consider the marvelous natural trumpet of the crane to be a most 

 beautiful provision given by the Creator to these wild birds to enable 

 them to keep their ranks, and not lose each other when migrating. 

 In fact, we men have adopted the idea by using trumpets. It often 

 happens that the dust at a field-day is so great that very little can be 

 seen, while it would be impossible for the human voice to be heard ; 

 trumpets, therefore, come in here of the greatest service, especially to 

 direct movements of cavalry. In the same way, the cranes might 

 possibly lose each other when flying in the wilderness of space of the 

 vast firmament of ether, and, were it not for their being able to signal 

 to each other, they would be unable to travel with facility either at 

 night, or when passing through clouds and fogs. 



A few days since a valued correspondent in Ireland sent us the 

 breastbone of a Hooper swan. I have dissected this, and find the 

 trachea convoluted in a manner very similar to that of the crane. 



There is a legend that when a swan is dying he becomes musical. 



