276 LORD LILFORD 



opinion the very acme of bird-beauty is reached 

 by the Manchurian, or Sacred Crane of Japan, 

 that is so commonly represented in Japanese 

 paintings and embroidery, and I think that the 

 Great White Crane of North America comes 

 as a very close second in elegance of shape 

 and grace of movement. But all the cranes 

 are beautiful, from the stately Sarus of India 

 that reaches to a height of six feet, down 

 to the Demoiselle of about the size of a thin 



' Before leaving the Pinetum I must relate 

 an occurrence in connection with birds that 

 amused me vastly at the time, and may raise a 

 smile now. A visitor to Lilford who evidently 

 took a great interest in our birds, was just 

 leaving when he suddenly turned to his con- 

 ductor and said : " By the way, I saw in the 

 papers some time ago that Lord Lilford had 

 given a very long price for an egg of the Great 

 Auk ; I trust that he was successful in hatching 

 it " ! To those present who are aware that the 

 Great Auk has been virtually extinct in this 

 world for some fifty years, I trust that the 

 humour of this inquiry is apparent. 



