532 GRUS CANADENSIS, SANDHILL CEANE. 



This tall and stately white bird, of the most imposiug appearance of 

 any of this country, I have only seen on the broad prairie, or soaring 

 on motionless pinion in spiral curves high overhead. Its immense 

 stature is sometimes singularly exaggerated by that quality of the 

 prairie air which magnifies distant objects on the horizon, transforming 

 sometimes a weed into a man, or making a Wild Turkey excite suspicion 

 of a buffalo. The most fabulous accounts of a Crane's size might read- 

 ily arise without intentional deception. I liave known a person to mis- 

 take a Sandhill Crane for one of liis stray mules, and go in search ; 

 and another enthusiastic teamster once declared that some he saw were 

 " bigger than his six-mule team." Once, while antelope-shooting on 

 the prairie, my companion — a good hunter — and myself saw what we 

 took to be an antelope standing quietly feeding with his broad, white 

 stern toward us, and only about five hundred yards off. We attempted, 

 for at least fifteen minutes, to "flag" the creature up to us, waving a 

 handkerchief on a ramrod in the most approved style. This proving 

 unavailing, my friend proceed to stalk the game, and crawled on his 

 belly for about half the distance before the "antelope" unfolded his 

 broad black-tipped wings and flapi^ed off, revealed at length as a 

 Whooping Crane. 



GEUS CANADENSIS, (Linn.) Temm. 



Brown or Sandhill Crane. 



Ardea canadensis, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 176G, 2M (Edw., i, 33; Briss., v, 38.5). — Forst., 

 Philos. Traus. Ixii, 1772, 382, 409 (Severu River).— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 620.— 

 Lath., lud. Oru. ii, 1790, 675 (Arct. Zool. ii, 443; Geu. Syu. v, 43). 



Grus canadensis, Temm., Aual. p. c. — Bp., Syu. 1828, No. 225; Consp. ii, 1855, 98. — Sab., 

 Fraukl. Journ. 685.— Rich., Parry's 2d Voy. 353.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 

 373.— NuTT., Man. ii, 1834, 38.— Bry., Pr. Bost. Soc. iv, 1853, 303 (critical) ; vii, 

 1859, p. 14. — WooDH., SitgT. Rep. 1853, 96 (New Mexico and Arizona).— Gundl., 

 J. f. O. iv, 1856, 339 (Cnba, breedino).— Nkwij., P. R. R. Rep. vi, 18.57, 97 (Pacilic 

 coast).— Be, B. N. A. 1858, 655.— Heerm., P. R. R. Rep. x, 1859, pt. vi, 62 (Cali- 

 fornia).— Maxim., J. f. O. vii, 1859, 84.— Coop. & Suck., N. H. Wasli. Ter. 1860, 

 227.— Wheat., Oliio Agric. Rep. 1860, No. 182.— Hayd., Rep. 1862, 173 (Ne- 

 braska). — Hoy, Smiths. Rep. 1864, 438 (Western Mii<souri). — Dress., Ibis, 1866, 

 30 (Texas). — Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 95 (Colorado and Gila Rivers, abun- 

 dant). —Allen, Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1868, 501 (Iowa, migratory and breeding). — 

 Dall & Bann., Tr. Cbic. Acad, i, 1869, 289 (Alaska, common, breeding). — Allen, 

 Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1871, 357 (Florida, abundant).- Trippe, Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 

 118 (Minnesota, very commou, breeding); Pr. Bost. Soc. xv, 1872, 240 (Iowa, 

 " vast numbers in migration "). — Aiken, ibid. 209 (Colorado, coujmon in migra- 

 tion).— Merr., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1872, 702 (Idaho).— Coues, Key, 1872, 

 271. — Snow, B. Kans. 1873, 9 (abundant in migrations). — RiDGW., Ann. Lye. 

 N. Y. X, 1874, 387 (lUiuois). 



Ardea canadensis var. /3, Lath., lud. Ol'u. ii, 1790, 676 (Mexico). 



Griis mexicana, Muller (Briss., v, 380). 



Grus x>ra1ensis, Bartr., Trav. in Florida, 1791, p. — . 



Grus fusca, Vieill., Nonv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vii, 548. 



Grus poVwplum, Wagleh, Syst. Av. 1827, Grus No. 7. 



Grus americaua, Aud., Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 441 (in iiart), pi. 261 ; Syu. 1839, 219 (in 

 part); B. Am. v, 1842, 188 (in part) ; pi. 314 (supposed young). 



Grus fralerculus, Cass., Baird's B. N. A. 1858, 656 (New Mexico). 



Compare (rrus longirosUis, Bp., C. A. ii, 1854, 98 (Fn. Japou. pi. 72.) 



//«?>.— United States, from Florida and the Mississippi Valley to the Pacilic, and in- 

 terior of the Fur Countries. North to the Yukon (Dad) and west coast of Baffin's Bay 

 (latitude 72^ ; Ibis, ii, 167). Breeds ai)parently nearly throughout its rauge. Cuba. 



Lieutenant Warren's Lxjjedition,— 8914, Sand Hills, Nebraska (erroneously given as G. 

 amerieana in Dr. Haydeu's earlier report). 



Later Expeditions. — 62369, North Fork, Idaho. 



Not obtained by Captain Raynolds' Expedition, nor by the later ones. 



I find no indication of the occurrence of this species anywhere in the 

 Eastern or Middle States, nor indeed east of the Mississippi aud its 



