58 BIRDS OF OHIO. 
69. (206.) GruS MEXICANA (Miill.). 239. 
Sandhill Crane. 
Synonyms: Grus canadensis, Ardea canadensis, A. mexicana. 
Brown Crane, Southern Sandhill Crane, Common Brown 
Crane. 
Wheaton, Ohio Agri. Report, 1860, 370, 480. 
While this crane is by no means common it is rather more 
numerous than the preceding species. It has been found 
breeding at Chicago Junction, and near Toledo. The eggs 
taken at Chicago Junction were successfully hatched and 
the young reared and kept in captivity until their natural 
death. One of the three birds of this lot was preserved by 
Mr. E. E. Masterman, of New London, and is now in the 
Oberlin College museum. It is a fine large bird in almost 
perfect plumage. 
The migrations should occur at the same time as those 
of the Whooping Crane. The cranes may be distinguished 
from other birds in flight by the manner of flight. After 
perhaps ten deliberate wing strokes there is a period 
of soaring flight of nearly the same duration, then 
another beating of the wings followed by a soaring, 
and so on. When the birds settle too close to the ground 
in this straight-away flight they circle upward by means of 
the same style of flight as when going straight ahead. At 
intervals they croak in concert, creating a disturbance that 
must arrest attention. In flight, legs and neck are stretched 
out at full length. 
SUBORDER RALLI. Rails, Gallinules, Coots. 
Family RALLIDA. 
In food habits the species comprising this family agree in 
general. All eat seeds, tender vegetation, worms, insects, 
crustaceans, mollusks, and with these some rubbish. The 
rails and gallinules live in the swamp vegetation very largely 
while the coots live and feed more in the open water and are 
therefore more often seen. The rails are averse to leaving 
the cover of the grass, and will do so only when suddenly 
