CRANES. 351 



the age of ihe bird : they are of a spherical shape, larger than those of a fowl, 

 and of a clear green colour. The flesh of the trumpeter when young is tender 

 and palatable, but tliat of the old birds is dry and generally tough.* 



The Cariama, forming another genus, differs from the trumpeter in having 

 a crest of feathers on the crown and forehead, but is of very similar habits. 

 In its wild state it is generally seen in pairs, or in small parties, near the out- 

 skirts of forests, more especially in swampy or inundated places, where it feeds 

 on lizards, frogs, and insects. Its cry is sharp and loud. Its nest, constructed 

 of sticks, is usually placed upon the lower branches of a rather low tree. The 

 female lays two white eggs. 



Sub-Family II. 

 THE CRANES. GRUIN^E. 



General Characteristics. — Bill more or less lengthened, straight, strong, with 

 tlie tips of both mandibles pointed and equal in length ; the nostrils placed ;n a 

 deep groove, ^\•hich extends beyond the middle of the bill ; the wungs long, and 

 the tertials lengthened and pendent ; the tail short and even ; the tarsi very long 

 and slender ; the toes rather short. 



The Cranes, which constitute the members of this sub-family, 

 are large and handsome birds, inhabiting for the most part the 

 warmer regions of the globe. They have a large and strong bill, 

 which is sometimes straight and pointed, sometimes more or less 

 arched at the extremity ; their nostrils are placed in large grooves, 

 and generally near the middle of the upper mandible. Their legs 

 are of great length and rather slender, with the tarsi compressed 

 and covered in front with broad shields, and the naked skin con- 

 tinued upwards to a coisiderable distance on the tibia. The toes 

 are rather long, with the exception of the hinder one, which is 

 small and elevated on the back of the tarsus, so that it does not 

 touch the ground in walking; the two outer anterior toes are 

 united at the base by a small membrane. The tail is usually 

 very short, and in the true cranes the tertiaries are greatly de- 

 veloped, forming elegant floating plumes, which hang gracefully 

 over the hinder part of the bird, and often give it a most graceful 

 appearance. The head is frequently adorned with a crest. The 

 favourite haunts of the crane are marshy districts, where it finds 

 in abundance the worms, mollusks. and frosfs that constitute a 



Vieillot et Oudart, '■^ Galerie dcs Oiscaux. 



