kn- 



SUBORDEE AL-bC i OxilJJliib ! CRANES, RAILS, &c. 



Family GEUID^ : Cranes. 



GRUS AMERICANA, (Liun.) Temm. 

 White or Whooping Crane. 



Ardea americana, LiNX., Syst. Nat. i, 1776, 234 (based on Edw., pi. 132; Gates., pi. 75 ; 

 Bkiss., V, 382).— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 621.— Fokst., Phil. Traiif^. Ixii, 1772, 

 382 (York Fort).— Lath., Ind, Oru. ii, 1790, G75 (Arct. Zool. ii, 442 ; Gen Syn. 

 V, 42 , Planch. Eulum. 889).— Wils., Am. Oru. viii, 1814,20, pi. 64, f. 3. 



Grits americana, Temm., Analyse. — Ord, ed. Wils. viii, 1825.— Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 

 195; Syn. 182b, — ;, List, 1838, 46; Consp. ii, 1855, 99.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. 

 ii, 1831, 372 ("every part of the Fur Conntries").— Nutt., RLin. ii, 1834, .34.— 

 AUD., Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 202, pi. 226; Syn. 1839, 219; B. A. v, 1842, 188, pi. 

 313.— Buy., Pr. Bost. Soc. iv, 1853, 303 (critical).— Putn., Pr. Ess. last, i, 1856, 

 229 (Massachusetts, very doubtful ; based on Emmons, Cat. B. Mass. 135; see 

 COUES, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 289).— Bi)., B. N. A. 1858, 654.— Maxim., J. f. O. 

 vii, 1859, 82 (immature). — Wheat., Ohio Agric. Rep. 1860, No. 181 (Ohio, 0fci4- 

 sioual). — Dkess., Ibis, 1866, 30 (Lo%ver Rio Grande).— Coues, Pr. Bo.st. Soc. 

 xii, 1868, 123 (South Carolina in winter, doubtful ; on authority of Prof. Gibben, 

 probably referring back to Audubon, who did not distinguish between this and 

 G. canadensis). — Tuknb., B. E. Pa. 1869, 43 ("now very rare;" three at Bees- 

 ley's Point, in 1851). — Tkippe., Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 118 (Minnesota, "quite 

 common at certain seasons, occasionally breeding"). — Ti;ippe, Pr. Bost. Soc. 

 XV, 1872,240 (Decatur County, Iowa, "quite a number"). — Aiken, Pr. Bost. Soc. 

 XV, 1872, 209 (Colorado, migratory, occasional). — Allen, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 

 182 (Kansas). — Snow^, B. Kans. 1873, 9 (rare in migration). — CoUES, Key, 

 1872, 271.— RiDGW., Ann. Lye. N. Y. x, 1874, 387 (Illinois). 



Grtis damator, Bartkam, Trav. in E. Fla. 1791. 



Grns strutltio, Waglep., Syst. Av. 1827, Grus No. 6. 



Grus hoijanus, Dudley, Pr. Phila. Acad, vii, 1854, 64. — Hartl., J. f. O. iii, 1855, 336, 

 427.— (See Stimpson, Mem. Chic. Acad, i, 1868, 129, pi. 19.) 



Hah. — Interior of North America. Up the Mississippi Valley, spreading through the 

 Fur Countries. Texas to Florida, and occasionally up the coast to the Middle States. 

 Not obtained by any of the Expeditious. 



It is unnecessary, at ibis late day, to argue the question of tbe dis- 

 tinctness of this species and its formerly supposed young, G. canademis. 

 But a very remarkable anatomical dift'erence between the two species 

 may be presented, as a structural character of G. americana not gen- 

 erally recognized, if indeed it be not altogether unknown. In G. cana 

 densis the trachea is stated to be simple; in G. americana it is remark- 

 ably convoluted within the sternum, to a degree perhaps not surpassed 

 by any bird whatever, and certainly equaled by few. This is an instance 

 of an anatomical peculiarity like that of the Trumpeter Swan {Ci/gmis 

 buccinator), in comparison with some allied si)ecies, and it appears to ex- 

 ercise a similar direct influence upon the voice, in each case. 



My attention was first directed to this peculiarity by Dr. 11. O. Sweeny, 

 of Saint Paul, when visiting the Museum of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences in that city, where I was shown a beautiful prei)aratiou of 

 the sternum and trachea, exhibiting the entire course of the windpipe 

 inside the keel of the bone. The sternal keel is broad and tumid, and 

 is entirely excavated. The greater part of the excavation is occupied 

 by the singular duplications of the trachea, to be presently described; 

 but there are two — an anterior and a posterior — large empty air cells 

 in the bone, with smooth walls, and two other air cells — one superior 



