4 W. II. St. Quintin—The Mantchurian Crane


Though very demonstrative and noisy each spring, I had never seen

any signs of nesting till last year (1918), when the birds put together

a platform of dry sedge on the edge of the water; but there were no

further results.


However, at the end of March this last spring, and early in April,

it was evident that they seriously contemplated breeding; and on

April 13 they were pulling sedge about, and made a fairly compact

nest on a small promontory with water on three sides, just such a

place as a Swan might choose. But this was rejected in favour of a more

open position, also close to the lake-side. The nest was more sub¬

stantial than that of any other Crane that has bred with me, but no

material other than the dry sedge of the previous year was used.


On the morning of April 28 we found the ground white with snow,

which remained till midday, and we had 9 degrees of frost on the glass

during the night. The female Crane was sitting with snow all round

her, and no doubt the first egg was laid that morning. Till May 15

the male Crane was never seen on the nest, but as he began to sit by

day on that date and had always shown great interest in the pro¬

ceedings, I think it likely that he shared the duties of incubation all

along, as other male Cranes do, but probably at night. These Cranes

have always been delightfully tame and confiding, but though I often

ventured within a few yards of the nest one or other of the birds was

always on, and I only once got a sight of the eggs and that from

a distance.


Once I saw a Jackdaw alight near the nest while the female was

standing preening her feathers a little way off; she instantly guessed

his intentions, and rushing up with outstretched wings drove him

away. On May 31 one egg was chipped in the morning. On the after¬

noon of the next day one young bird had left the shell, but remained

in the nest. The male Crane was brooding at 7.30 that evening. At

9 a.m. on June 2 the young Crane left the nest, on which the male w'as

sitting, and walked to meet the female a few yards away, and took

several bits of boiled rabbit and Spratt’s poultry meal from her bill.

The female then relieved the male and took charge of the remaining

egg, which was chipped, and the chick was struggling to free itself

from the shell. On the 3rd, at 7 p.m., both young Cranes were being



