58 PONDS, PADDOCKS, AND AVIARIES 



pair of crested pelicans, taking their pleasures thereon ; 

 but the main interest centres in the large collection of 

 that very graceful family, the cranes. Till within a 

 month ago I was the proud possessor of specimens of 

 all this family save one, the wattled crane of South 

 Africa ; but, alas ! my three beautiful Stanley cranes 

 all drooped and died within a week, leaving a lamentable 

 gap in the beautiful group. The rarest of these cranes 

 is the hooded crane from Japan (Grus monachus) ; and 

 unfortunately the only individual of this species that I 

 have been able to obtain broke a leg last summer, but 

 is in perfect health ; this is not a very striking bird, 

 either in colour or size, when compared with other cranes. 

 In my opinion the very acme of bird beauty is reached 

 by the Manchurian, or sacred crane of Japan, which is 

 so commonly represented in Japanese paintings and 

 embroidery ; and I think that the great white crane 

 of North America comes as a very close second in 

 elegance of shape and grace of movement. But all the 

 cranes are beautiful — from the stately sarus of India, 

 which reaches to a height of six feet, down to the 

 demoiselle, of about the size of a thin goose. 



" Before leaving the Pinetum I must relate an 

 occurrence in connection with birds, that amused me vastly 

 at the time, and may raise a smile now. A visitor to 

 Lilford, who evidently took a great interest in our 

 birds, was just leaving, when he suddenly turned to his 

 conductor and said : ' By the way, I saw in the papers 



