236 



Order ALECTORIDES. 

 Family GRUID^. 



O-en-O-S OISTJS, Pallas. 



Grus australasiana. 



AUSTRALIAN iKANK. 



Oriis australasianus, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VI., pi. 48 (1818): h/., Handbk. Bds. Austr., 

 Vol.11., p. 290(18(15). 



Antigow anslralasiana, Hhavpe, Ca.t. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIII., p. 265 (1894); id., Hand-1. 

 Bds., Vol. I., p. 178 (1899). 



Adi'I/I' m.\le. — Gftifral clour aboc (/re//, Ihf feathrrs on Uic hack harbtt/ a slu/ht hroivuisli 

 ivash and lig/der hroirnish-yn'y marginn : upper iinng -coverts grey iri/h ligliter margins ; secondaries 

 ashy-grey, the elongated inner ones jialer ; primaries and primary cocerts lilack : tail-feathers grey; 

 ear-coverts grey : nape and entire neck silvery-grey : remainder of tlie wider surface grey, ivith ivhilis/i 

 sih^ery-grey margi'ns to the feathers of the breast and abdomen: tliighs auc/ itnder tail-coverts grey. 

 Total length in the flesh 5Jf inches, wing .il, tail il-5, bill 6-7'i, tarsus ll-.l-'i. 



Adult female. — -Similar in plumage to the adult male, but smaller. 



Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, 

 Victoria, South Australia, Central Australia. 



/~|^l IE present species is Australia's only 

 JL true Crane; it is, however, better 

 known to most residents as the " Native Com- 

 panion," and in New South Wales also by the 

 local name of " Brolf^a," probably a corruption 

 of an aboriginal name. It is distributed over 

 the greater portion of the States, except in the 

 south-western portion of the continent. Shallow 

 cane swamps, marshes, the margins of rivers 

 and lakes, partially Hooded grass lands, are its 

 favourite haunts, and affords it an opportunity 

 of securing its prey, which consists of various 

 kinds of insects, small reptiles and fish, frogs, 

 the soft ends of water weeds and newly planted 

 grain. In the Berrigan and Wellington Dis- 

 tricts, New South Wales, loud complaints 

 were made of the ravages committed by this 

 species. Although usually shy, in such numbers 

 did they appear on these vast wheat-growing 

 areas in 1896-7 that shooting had but little 

 effect, and they simply flew slowly away to a 

 more distant part of the lield. These birds 

 have also been charged with picking out the 

 eyes of calves too weak to rise, or to keep 

 AUSTRALIAN CRANK. away from their large and pointed pickaxe-like 



