18 Monograph of the Cranes. 



green, and obscurely marked, chiefly at the obtuse end, with faint reddish- 

 brown confused blotches and spots, ■with here and there a dark mark 

 standing out prominently; axis, S^in. ; diameter, 2in. 5 lines. The egg of 

 the other species of crowned crane figured by Dr. Bree in his 'Birds of 

 Europe ' gives a very fair idea of the egg sent to me by Mr. Arnot ; only 

 the spots are more concentrated and fuller, and the ground colour is 

 greener." 



In the Ibis for 1873, p. 28G, there is an "Additional List of, and Notes on, 

 Birds obtained in the Republic of Trans-Vaal," by Thomas Ayres, com- 

 municated by Mr. J. H. Guruey. Of the Southern Crowned Crane 

 {Balearica refiulorum) he remarks, "I have been fortunate enough to get 

 two more eggs of this crane ; they are precisely similar to those mentioned 

 in the Ibis for 1868, p. 256, except that those now obtained were quite fresh, 

 whereas the previous ones were much incubated, and in consequence had 

 a dirty, glossj^ and worn appearance. One of these eggs measured 

 3iVin. by 2fVin., the other 3-jSjin. by 2Tijin. They were taken from the 

 nest oh December 22nd, 1871, by my friend, Mr. J. C. Bodenstein, on 

 whose statements I can implicitly rely, and who also shot one of the old 

 birds, the skin of which I now have. The nest was found in an extensive 

 swamp on the banks of the Movi river, about twenty miles from Potchef- 

 stroom, and was composed of rushes pulled and placed in a conical form on 

 the rank long grass, which falls over from its own weight, and forms a 

 thick carpet of vegetation, often more than a foot thick ; the nest was built 

 where the water was about ankle-deep, and contained two eggs only." 



[Mr. T. 0. Buckley, in his notes on the birds of the Matabili country 

 (Ibia, 1874, p. 389) states that B. regulonim is pretty common throughout 

 the open country of the Trans-Vaal, and is called by the Dutch " Mahem." 

 Ho found a large floating nest composed of dried reeds, in which were two 

 white eggs, tinged slightly with blue. The nest had no lining whatever. 



Mr. F. A. Bai-ratt, in the "Notes on the Birds of the Lydenburg District" 

 (Tbis, 1876, p. 209), writes : 



In the district of Potohefstroom this bird is not at all uncommon. I have seen them 

 between Bloemfontein, Potohefstroom, and Pretoria. 



In the winter they may be seen half a dozen together; but in the time of uidiBca- 

 tion they are only found in pairs. I have never found two pairs breeding together in 

 the same vley, but always some distance apart ; and they can be heard a long way 

 off, calling out " raahem " with a delightful mellow note. At the present time I have 

 four living which I brought over from the Oraugo Free State and Trans-Vaal. They 

 all, with the exception of the young one, have the white cheek. I have seen birds from 

 the western coast with it red ; but I have never seen them so from the Trans-Vaal. All 

 I have shot, heard of, or seen have had the cheek white. The eggs I have always 

 found to be white, with a bluish cast. Some state, however, that they are spotted ; 

 but I have never found them so. I have seen these birds a few miles north of 

 Pretoria. 



The immature plumage of this species had not been carefully noted until 



