58 On the trail of vanishing birds 



tion. As they come down, springing lightly on their stiffened legs, 

 both birds touch the surface with their bills, scooping water over 

 themselves in a sweeping sidewise motion. 



At the high point of their leap they throw their heads back, 

 arching their necks so that the bills point skyward. The wings 

 flap in a flowing, graceful rhythm. The legs are stiff and straight, 

 so that they act like springs, sending the birds bouncing upward 

 again and again like two people on pogo sticks. When they strike 

 the ground at the end of a series of jumps, they run toward each 

 other, nodding their heads very gravely and flapping their huge 

 wings. Then more leaps. Once the male, in a tremendous spring, 

 jumped clear over the female, turning almost completely around 

 as he was coming down. 



The climax is an exhausting series of bounding leaps, an almost 

 frantic effort, and then, as suddenly as it began, the dance is over. 

 On another occasion, I saw the male continue his leaps solo, 

 bounding off across the pond for some distance, the female walk- 

 ing away as if she had had enough. Throughout these perform- 

 ances the young crane watches in a bewildered manner at first, and 

 then resumes his feeding as if completely bored by the whole busi- 

 ness. 



As the winter season moves on, a definite change takes place in 

 the relationship of parents and young. When the dances of the 

 adults have become an almost daily occurrence, so that for cer- 

 tain periods in the day the pair are more or less preoccupied with 

 them and with each other, it is time for the weaning of the 

 youngster. By now the young crane has lost nearly all of the buff 

 and rusty feathers of his extreme youth and from a distance ap- 

 pears entirely white and indistinguishable from an adult, although 

 at close range you can see remnants of his immaturity. The proud 

 regard of his parents, especially the tender care of the mother, 

 has been such an unwavering flame that it must come as a decided 

 shock to him when she abruptly turns on him one day and, with 

 head lowered in the attacking posture, runs at him and sends him 

 flapping off in frightened bewilderment. It is time to break the 

 tie, to cut him loose from her apron! The youngster is driven off 

 again and again, for he can't believe it's true. At length, accepting 



