46 CRANE GROUP 



now few and far between, but ancient records indicate that it was 

 formerly common, and that it bred in the fens of the eastern counties 

 till about the close of the sixteenth century, and probably also in 

 Ireland, although in the records of the latter country there may be 

 some confusion between this bird and the heron. The occurrence 

 of its bones in prehistoric refuse-heaps at Ballycotton, Cork, affords, 

 however, presumptive evidence that the crane was at one time a 

 regular inhabitant of Ireland. 



As the ornithologist of the present day has no likelihood of seeing 

 this bird wild in Britain, detailed description of its plumage would 

 be superfluous. It may be mentioned, however, that the general 

 colour is ashy grey, although the sides of the head and neck are wfiite ; 

 and that the inner secondary quills of the wings are elongated into 

 long slender plumes, which attain their full development only in the 

 cock ; while the crown of the head of the adult carries a red, warty 

 patch. The chick is buff, darker above than below. 



Two or three isolated records of the occurrence of the demoiselle 

 crane {AutJiropoides virgo), and the African crowned crane {Balearica 

 pavonina) in Britain, are not imjirobably based on specimens escaped 

 from captivity, and, in any case, are not worthy of further mention. 



The avis tarda, or bustard, is another splendid 

 bird which has disappeared from the resident British 

 fauna, although at a much later date than the crane ; 

 and such efforts as have been made to re-establish it in its ancient 

 haunts have hitherto proved unsuccessful, nor is it likely, from the 

 open nature of these haunts, that similar attempts in the future will be 

 attended with better results. Bustards form apparently a group with 

 complex affinities, connecting the rails and the cranes on the one hand 

 with the plovers on the other, although their relationshij) with the 

 cranes seems, on the whole, to be the closest. They resemble, for 

 instance, the rails in having oval nostrils, but differ from both these and 

 the cranes in the absence of the oil-gland and the hind-toe, and also 

 in the presence of two notches in the lower border of the breast-bone, 

 in which respect they agree with some of the plovers. They further 

 differ from the cranes in having no bare patches on the sides of the 

 neck, and in possessing from sixteen to twenty tail-feathers. Possibly 

 the remarkable nuptial display of the cock -bustard may be nearly 

 connected with the nuptial dances of the cranes. The young are 

 hatched covered with down, and capable erf ruiming immediately after 

 leaving the egg. In laying but two or three eggs at a time, both 



