GRUS GRUS 275 



Algiers, where he never met with the Common Coot, and beheves 

 that each species confines itself to its own nesting-places. Thus on 

 the lakes he visited in Eastern Algeria the following summer, while 

 F. atra abounded, F. cristata never once came under his notice. It 

 is not unlikely that the present species is somewhat irregular in its 

 appearance in certain localities, and that it may be entirely absent 

 one year in a district where it was abundant the previous year. 



The range of the Crested Coot extends throughout the greater 

 part of the African Continent, Southern Spain and Portugal and 

 the Balearic Islands, while it occurs accidentally in Italy, the South 

 of France, and some of the Mediterranean islands. It is said to have 

 bred in Sardinia, where apparently it was formerly more often met 

 with than it is at the present day. In its habits and in its nidification 

 this species resembles the Common Coot, though differing from that 

 bird in some i-espects. 



Family GEUID^. 



GRUS GRUS (Linnaeus). 



CEANE. 



Ardea grus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 234 (1766). 



Grus grus, Brusina, Molr., dc {Orn. Croatia), p. 84 (1890) ; Sharpe, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii, p. 250; Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1900, p. 47. 

 Grus cinerea, Malherbe, Cat. Rais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 20 (1846) ; Loche, 



Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 118 (1867) ; Koenig, J.f. 0. 1893, p. 85. 

 Grus cinereus, Koenig, J.f. 0. 1888, p. 271. 

 Grus communis, Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 105. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from North Tunisia. 



Forehead and crown almost bare, but covered to a certain extent with 

 black hair-like feathers ; a red band across the occiput ; nape greyish- 

 black ; ear-coverts and sides of neck white ; greater part of upper plumage 

 slate-grey ; tail dark slate ; primaries black ; secondaries considerably 

 elongated ; chin and throat blackish ; rest of under-parts pale slate-grey. 



Iris reddish ; bill greenish-brown and flesh-colour at the base of the 

 lower mandible ; feet blackish-brown. 



Total length 45 inches, wing 25, culmen 4-25, tarsus 9-50. 



Adult female resembles the male. 



