''^i89o'."'] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 493 



of June, and evidently 2 or 3 weeks old, made such a poor attempt at 

 walking that he reflected but little credit on the noble order of proecoces 

 to which his family belongs. And yet I must admit that when I first 

 came on him he ran with very fair speed, and as his parents contrived 

 to monopolize my attention for a time he escaped into the scrub, but 

 later on was found squatting as still as death. He looked then decep- 

 tively like a red rabbit or a small fox. On being touched he sprang up 

 uttering a gentle " peeping" which contrasted strangely with the strong 

 croaks of his parents. He ran for a few yards with the grace and ce- 

 lerity of a Cochin fowl, but soon weakened and was obliged to sit on 

 his heels. 



I took him home and found that he spent fully half his time in this 

 elegant position, and that, moreover, although he ate well and seemed 

 in good health, he was scarcely able to stand erect excepting in the heat 

 of the day, and when he attempted to rise he was almost sure to 

 fall once or twice through his neck getting entangled with his shanks 

 in a most unprtecocial manner ; nevertheless, he grew and fledged and 

 became quite tame. Then came two other pets to share the building 

 wherein he had so long dwelt alone; they were a Peregrine Falcon and 

 a Swainson's Buzzard. For a time all went well ; the crane seemed to 

 have strength enough and beak enough to take care of himself. Then 

 I found out that he would even share the Falcon's food, so I ofi'ered him 

 a sparrow; he seized it savagely and, uttering a peculiar harsh note, 

 pinned it to the ground with his bayonet-like bill, then stabbed it again 

 and again, and at last, having reduced it to a shapeless mass, he swal- 

 lowed it. So that, although I have found only berries, grain, grass, 

 and insects in the gizzards of old ones so far, I think it is likely that 

 they will also eat frogs, mice, or small birds. 



How it came about I never could tell, but one morning after a storm 

 I foitnd the peregrine sitting on the dead body of the crane; I did not 

 at once remove it, and when I came again the two bandits had nearly 

 eaten my gentle pet. 



Several of the neighbors also have tried to rear young cranes and 

 almost always with success and satisfaction, for, although it is difficult 

 to keep them over winter, they become so tame and are so interesting 

 during their stay that their owners feel amply rewarded for what little 

 trouble they have taken with them. As a game bird I am inclined to 

 place the present species first on the Manitobau list, as the White Crane 

 and the swans are too rare for insertion on a list of species that the 

 sportsman may pursue with regularity and success. An average speci- 

 men weighs about 9| or 10 pounds, and the quality of the flesh is un- 

 surpassed by that of any of our ordinary birds unless it be the par- 

 tridge. I should strongly advocate the protection of this bird by the 

 game law were it not that it is so thoroughly well able to take care of 

 itself that legislation in its favor seems altogether unnecessary. 



The young cranes are apparently strong on the wing in August, for 



