COOT.— CRANE. 197 



The Coot flies much at nighty hke the Wild Duck^ biit tlie 

 two present a very different appearance on the wing^ even 

 when it is too dark to distinguish colour. Both fly with 

 out-stretched necks^ but the shorter-winged Coot^ with 

 longer legs, carried out behind like a tail, may always be 

 distinguislied from the sharper-winged and longer-necked 

 Duck. 



ALECTORIDES. 



GrRJJIDM. 



CRANE. 



Grus communis. 



Though formerly not uncommon, the Crane has now become 

 a rare straggler. In the good old days of Falconr}^, and before 

 the draining of the Fens, it bred freely in this country, and 

 was strictly preserved for that sport. The nest is formed of 

 long sedgy grass and very small twigs, placed on the ground. 

 I have only heard of the occurrence of the Crane in Sussex 

 on two occasions. One w^as shot by a butcher of the name of 

 Geering, in Pevensey Level in May 1849, and was sent to Mr. 

 EUman, wdio recorded it in the ''Zoologist' (p. 3031). I 

 afterwards purchased it from him, and it is still in my collec- 

 tion. It was a female, though recorded by Mr. Ellman as a 

 male, and was in good condition, the only shot-mark found 

 on the skin being that of a single corn, which had passed 

 through the head. The other example I saw in the flesh the 

 day after it was shot, at Pagham, October 18th, 185-1. This 

 was also in good condition, and was an immature female, the 

 elongated plumes on the hinder part being only two or three 



