480 GAME BIRDS. WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



We have now traced the Whooping Crane along the 

 Atlantic Coast from the Carolinas to the borders of New 

 England. 



W. Hubbard, in his General History of New England, 

 1610, gives Cranes among the birds of Long Island.^ 



In Roger Wolcott's account of John Winthrop's Agency, 

 1751-54, Cranes are given among the birds of Connecticut.^ 



William Wood of Massachusetts, writing of New England 

 in 1629-34, says: " The Crane although hee bee almost as tall 

 as a man by reason of his long legges, and necke; yet is his 

 body rounder than other fowles, not much unlike the body of 

 a Turkic. I have scene many of these fowles, yet did I never 

 see one that was fat, I suppose it is contrary to their nature to 

 grow fat; Of these there be many in Summer, but none in 

 winter, their price is two shilling." ^ 



Unless Wood exaggerated he must have referred here to 

 the Whooping Crane, for that is the only bird in North 

 America that can be described as " almost as tall as a man." 

 The Whooping Crane stands about five feet high when 

 stretched to its full height, but being white it appears taller, 

 while the Sandhill Crane is not so conspicuous on account of its 

 color and does not appear so large. The Sandliill Crane 

 actually is smaller, but Wood probably referred to both species, 

 as they were confounded by early writers. Even Audubon and 

 Wilson considered both Cranes to be of one species, and re- 

 garded the Sandhill Crane as the young of the Whooping 

 Crane. 



Morton (1632), who lived at Merrymount (Mount Wollas- 

 ton), near Boston, says: " Cranes there are greate store, that 

 ever more came there at S. Davids Day [March 1], and not 

 before: that day they never would misse. These sometimes 

 eate our corne, and doe pay for their presumption well enough; 

 and serveth there in powther, with turnips, to supply the place 

 of powthered beefe, and is a goodly bird in a dishe and no dis- 

 commodity." ^ 



1 Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc, Vol. VI, 2d ser., p. 672. 



2 Ibid., Vol. IV, 1st ser., p. 270. 



3 Wood, William: New England's Prospect, Pub. Prince Soc, 1865, pp. 31, 32. 

 i Morton, Thomas: New English Canaan, Pub. Prince Soc, 1883, p. 192. 



