224 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the tall grass and very shortly was rewarded by observing one of the birds sep- 

 arate itself from its mate and stroll for some distance in a dififerent direction to 

 a point where, after preening the feathers of the breast as before, it settled down 

 until only the top of the head was visible through the waving grass. Donning 

 my waders, I again set forth, and this time to my great relief I found the bed 

 of the march fairly firm so that I had no difficulty in proceeding. 



If, however, the reader has ever tried the experiment of wading through a 

 muskeg with uneven bottom, without once daring to drop his eyes in the direc- 

 tion of his pedal extremities, he will have some idea of the task I had set myself. 

 Time and again when one foot or the other would drop into a bit of a pothole, 

 threatening a spill with its inevitable result, it was with the utmost difficulty I 

 kept my eyes raised, and steadfastly fixed upon the distant lodestone. After 

 plunging along for what appeared like miles, I stopped and without moving a 

 step, looked all around me. I saw nothing of the nest, but the two birds, a few 

 hundred yards to my left, appeared uneasy I thought and were making manifest 

 efforts to attract me to themselves. Again sighting my beacon and getting my 

 bearings I trudged on, and when next I paused and looked about me, I could 

 scarcely believe my eyes when about 10 feet to my right I beheld the object of 

 my two day's search, the nest of the whooping crane. In the center of an open 

 sheet of water about 30 feet in diameter, there arose out of the water a mound of 

 coarse grass and reeds that just resemble the upper part of a two-thirds sub- 

 merged coil of hay. It arose about one foot above the level of the surface of the 

 water, was flat on top being just slightly concave. In this depression were placed 

 the two large grayish cream colored eggs. They were about 4 inches in length, 

 and only slightly larger at one end than the other. The distressed whooping 

 cries of the birds, as I tarried at the nest, I shall never forget. They were the 

 most remarkable calls I had ever heard. They boomed out and floated over the 

 marsh, until the whole air seemed to vibrate, and for a time I was not at all sure 

 that an attack was not imminent. 



Mr. Bradshaw's experience with the birds was almost exactly simi- 

 lar. The nest contained three eggs when found on May 28, 1922. 

 One egg hatched the next day and one was infertile. He says in 

 his notes: 



After a long tiresome tramp through 2 feet of water in a heavy marsh, I lo- 

 cated a nest and three eggs despite the efforts of the birds to lead me off the track, 

 one went to the left and the other to the right, and when I found the nest they 

 came closer and closer, feigned many times to be on the nest and went through 

 antics of coshering eggs; one bird circled within 100 yards radius twice while I was 

 taking a photograph. The nest was made of rushes, three-sided sedge grass, pulled 

 up by the roots. I found it very difficult to uproot, it having adventitious roots. 

 These rushes were nipped from 1 to 5 inches from the root and I am of the opin- 

 ion that this is done when the birds are gathering material for the nest. The 

 nest was from 4 to 5 feet in diameter and about 15 or 18 inches above the water, 

 dry on top amd lined with the finer outside covering of the old dry grasses, the seed 

 of which is a brownish color and pear-shaped. A very slight depression formed 

 the top of the nest. The gathering of material for the nest clears the water 

 surrounding the nest of rushes and forms an island home for the birds, as shown 

 in the photograph. 



Eg§s. — The whooping crane lays ordinarily two eggs, occasionally 

 only one and very rarely three; in the set of three, referred to above, 



