Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 57 



through the Mississippi Valley and breeding formerly in the north- 

 ern United States and Canada from the Red River to the Rocky 

 Mountains, now driven to the northernmost portions of its range 

 by the irresistible encroachment of civilization. 



Available records of its occurrence in Missouri are few. The 

 first for the state is that of Dr. P. R. Hoy in his "Journal of an 

 Exploration of western Missouri" under date of April 18, 1854. 

 One in the Hurter collection of birds taken in the vicinity of 

 St. Louis is dated March 17, 1884. Mrs. Musik reported five 

 cranes seen at Mount Carmel, Audrain Co., March 25, 1885. 

 Mr. Hy. Nehrling saw 26 Whooping Cranes at Freistatt, Law- 

 rence Co., March 27, 1886. I had the pleasure of seeing twelve 

 pure white, beautiful cranes flying low over St. Louis on the after- 

 noon of March 25, 1888. Mr. P. L. Ong reported the occurrence 

 of two cranes ((?. americana) at Laclede, Linn Co., March 20 and 

 27, 1889. The last record at hand is March 9, 10 and 15, 1894, 

 from Stotesbury, Vernon Co., made by Mr. T. Surber in his 

 migration report to the Dep't of Agriculture. There is no fall 

 record for Missouri, but T. M. Trippe saw ''quite a number" in 

 the fall of 1872 in Decatur Co., Iowa, just across the line of north- 

 central Missouri. One winged on the Grand Prairie in Dunklin 

 Co. in 1864 was kept alive by Dr. Cook of Cottonplant and after 

 his death by his widow for over thirty years. 



205. Grus CANADENSIS (Linn.). Little Brown Crane. 



Grus fraterculus. Northern Sandhill Crane. 



Geog. Dist. — Arctic and subarctic America. Breeds in the 

 high north along the Arctic coast, and migrates south through 

 western United States to Texas and New Mexico. 



A female was shot in Clark Co., Mo., April 10, 1896, and brought 

 to Mr. W. E. Praegex, who has the skin in his collection. It has 

 repeatedly been taken in eastern Nebraska (and Wisconsin), 

 and is regarded as a common migrant in Kansas. 



206. Grusmexicana (Miill.). Sandhill Crane. 



Grus canadensis (part.). Brown Crane. Grus americana (By Audubon 

 supposed to be young of Whooping Crane). 



Geog. Dist. — From central Mexico and Florida to southern 

 Canada. Rare east of the Alleghanies north of Georgia. West 

 to California. Breeds locally throughout its range from Arizona 



