BURMESE SARUS 121 



Burmese Sarus. 



Grus sharpii. Gyo-gya, Burmese. 



Although nowadays classed as a distinct species, the sarus of 

 Burma differs very little from the Indian bird, being merely 

 darker grey, with no white anywhere ; it has a dingier aspect 

 altogether, and is inclined to be smaller, while the hairs about 

 the throat are very scanty. 



This is the large crane, not only of Burma, but of the Malay 

 Peninsula, Siam, and Cochin-China, and the older accounts, such 

 as those of Hume, of the sarus occurring in these countries, 

 must be taken as referring" to this species ; but the common 

 sarus is the crane of Assam, judging from a skin in the Indian 

 Museum in my time, which I was able to compare with another 

 of the present form from Upper Burma, also in the collection. 



Mynheer F. Blaauw, in his valuable monograph on the 

 cranes, gives an interesting account of the breeding of this bird. 

 He says : " The Eastern sarus crane has been found breeding in 

 the months of August and September, and it probably also nests 

 later in the year, as Davison found young birds in Burma, still 

 unable to fly, as late as December. Wardlaw Eamsay, who 

 records its breeding near Tonghoo, tells us that, although he did 

 not find the eggs himself, eggs were brought to him by the 

 Burmese. They described the nest as a pile of weeds and mud, 

 situated generally in the midst of a swamp. On September 29, 

 a Burmese brought him an egg and a newly hatched chick . . . 

 the little bird was given into the charge of a common hen with 

 doubts as to the result. She, however, took the greatest care 

 of it, and showed great wrath if anyone attempted to touch it. 

 On the morning of the eleventh day, however, the little creature 

 died. When just out of the shell it devoured worms greedily." 



Davison found that the young birds displayed great cunning 

 in taking cover, but would resort to the plan traditionally 

 ascribed to the ostrich, of hiding their heads when fairly run 

 down in the open. These birds were destructive to the young 

 plants in paddy nurseries, and he never saw them eating any- 

 thing else. They themselves were considered a great luxury- 

 by Davison's friends in Moulmein, to whom he used to send 



