36 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



The nostrils of the crane are half-way down the beak, 

 while they are at the base in the bill of the stork. The 

 crane nests on the ground ; the stork builds in a tree. 

 Young storks are helpless creatures, while little cranes 

 hop and run about from the moment they leave the 

 egg. Lastly, the crane has a voice, a fine loud voice, 

 a voice that can be heard a mile away, a voice like a 

 trumpet, for its windpipe is coiled. King stork, on the 

 other hand, has no voice ; when he wants to make a 

 joyful noise he is obliged to clap together his great 

 mandibles. 



Cranes have been favourites with man from time 

 immemorial. The result is that ancient and mediaeval 

 writers have plenty to say about them. Now the 

 naturalist of old considered himself in honour bound 

 to attribute some wonderful characteristic to every 

 beast of which he wrote. If he did not know of any 

 clever thing done by any creature, he invented some- 

 thing for it to do. This method had the advantage of 

 making natural history a very exciting and interesting 

 study. Cranes were supposed to perform all manner 

 of tricks with stones. As we have seen, they are blessed 

 with powerful voices, and, like other loud-voiced people, 

 find it difficult to keep silent. They are fully persuaded 

 that silence is golden ; but, when it comes to acting up 

 to this belief, the flesh proves itself very frail. Thus it 

 came to pass that the sagacious birds, when migrating, 

 used to stop up their mouths with stones. As they are 

 far too well-bred to speak with the mouth full, they 

 were able to maintain a decorous silence when travel- 

 ling. 



