CRANE 10s) 
Food.—The Crane eats grain, insects, small birds, and 
mammals. Mr. Saunders also mentions the tuber of the 
sweet potato and water-melons. 
Nest.—This species builds on marshy ground. The eggs 
are greyish-brown with dark brown blotches and _ spots : 
two constitute the clutch. Incubation begins in April or 
May. 
This noble bird bred in the fens and marshes of Kast 
Anglia until 1590 (Saunders). It is of considerable interest 
to note that for several centuries, the bird and its eggs were 
protected by law, and in 1780 it was decreed in the Fen Laws 
that ‘‘ no person should take any Swans’ eggs or Cranes’ egg, 
or young birds of that kind, on pain of forfeiting for every 
offence 3s. 4d.,” ‘‘ but,” says Prof. Newton, ‘“‘ this was most 
likely but the formal repetition of an older edict ; for in 
1768 Pennant wrote that after the strictest enquiry he 
found the inhabitants of those counties to be wholly un- 
acquainted with the bird, and hence concluded that it had 
forsaken our island.”’ 
Geographical distribution.—On its northern migration 
the Crane reaches as far as Swedish and Finnish Lapland. 
In these countries it breeds, but it also halts in great num- 
bers in Central and Southern Europe to take up its breeding- 
quarters in spring. In summer it migrates eastward over 
the Asiatic Continent up to lat.65° N. Its winters are spent 
in Central Africa, India, China, Japan and other warm 
countries. 
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial.—General colour, slate- 
erey, with darker striping down the ‘front of the throat; 
inner secondaries form a bunch of long downward-curved 
blue-black plumes which sweep over the tail. 
Adult female nuptial.—Lighter in colour than tbe male. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Resembles the nuptial 
plumage. 
Immature, male and female.—Back and wings, greyish- 
brown, the feathers being edged with a fulvous shade ; top 
of head and back of neck, rusty-brown; wing-plumes, very 
short. 
Brak. Geryish-green, with a little red near the base. 
Fret. Blackish-grey. 
Tribes. Reddish-brown. 
