Notes on the Cranes at Lit ford Hall.



147



liberated, as well as plenty of skins to show their plumage at the present

day and a comparison of the descendants of these birds, if they persist,

with those from their original home should be able to throw considerable

light on a practically unknown subject. For these reasons, therefore, we

have cause to be very grateful to Sir William for undertaking the expeii-

ment as well as for enabling us to put on permanent record the commence¬

ment thereof, and we hope that, as time goes on he will keep us informed

of the progress and welfare of the birds.—E d.]



NOTES ON THE CRANES AT LILFORD HALL.


By R. Cosgrave.


{By kind permission of the Lady Lii.ford.)


I have been asked to write a short account of our birds at

Lilford, and I think that I cannot do better than tell you some¬

thing about our Cranes, of which we have at the present time

some thirty examples, namely : two Sarus ( Grus antigone ), four

White-necked ( Grus leucauchen), two Mantclmrian (Grus viri-

dirostns ), three Demoiselle ( Grus virgo), two Stanley (Te?apteryx

paradisea), two West African Crowned (Grus pavonina'), two Cape

Crowned (Grus chrysoplargus ), two Hooded (Grus monachus), two

Canadian (Grus canadensis ), one Wattled (Grus carunciilata), three

Siberian (Grus leucogeranus ), two Common ( Grus communis'), one

American White (Grus americana ), one Australian Native Com¬

panion (Grus austialasiana), one Hybrid + male Canadensis and

female Viridirostris.


The White-necked Cranes breed regularly with us each

season, invariably rearing two young. Only two eggs are laid ;

these are placed on the bare ground in the centre of the com¬

partment, surrounded by a few bents of grass and any rubbish

that may be handy. The first egg is laid two clear days in

advance of the second, and the male begins to incubate the first

egg at once, so that it hatches two days before the other.

About four hours after hatching the young begins to take food,

and it is a most interesting sight to see it put out its head and

neck from under the mother’s wing to take a tiny insect from

the bill of the father, who now becomes most industrious in pro¬

viding for his family wants. When one day old the first young

one leaves the nest, and is immediately taken charge of by the



