THE



Hvtcultural fllbagasine,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. VII. —NO. 5. All rights reserved. MARCH, 1901.



DEMOISELLE CRANES.


By the Hon. Gerald Lascelles.


A few notes as to the nesting of my Demoiselle Cranes

may perhaps interest readers of the “ Avicultural Magazine,” even

though no successful result was attained ; and possibly some of

the members may be able to give me a few hints as to the best

steps to take for rearing the young, should my Cranes lay again

this year.


I procured these Cranes from a London dealer in Novem¬

ber, 1898. They were rather rough in feather but in good health.

I turned them out, closely pinioned of course, in the small park

or field of about six acres which is in the front of this house.

They settled down in a very short time and have thriven well

ever since. They share this field (in which there is a small

pond) with a number of poultry and a small collection of water-

fowl. With these they agree very well and neither species

interferes with the other. Their food is much the same as that

of the fowls—viz., maize, wheat, broken dog biscuit, and scraps

from the house. In summer they practically maintain them¬

selves, but in winter they will come readily to the whistle for

food, and are quite as tame as the game fowls running with them.


They moulted out beautifully in 1899, and, except for

being pinioned, were in absolutely perfect plumage. Their

loud but not unmusical note is most frequent when rain or a

change of weather is impending; at such times they become rest¬

less and inclined to try to take wing. And there is always a

chorus from the two of them at the extreme close of the day just

before darkness sets in, which the whole household recognises

as the “ evening hymn.”


In 1899 the}'- gave no signs of breeding, nor was there

any apparent difference between the two that would enable me

to form an opinion as to whether they were a pair or not. But

in the spring of last year we noticed certain gestures on the part



