The Crane. 



34? 



THE CKANE. (Grw cinerea.) 



CRANES frequent marshy places, and live upon small fish 

 and water-insects. Their long beaks enable them to 

 search the water and mud for their prey, and their long 

 necks prevent the necessity of their stooping to pick tip 

 from between their feet the objects of their search. The 

 top of the head, the throat, and sides of the neck are of a 

 blackish hue ; the back, the wings, and the body are 

 ash-coloured. The tertial feathers of the wings are very 

 long, with loose webs, forming elegant plumes, which 

 fall over the sides of the tail. They used to be common 

 in the fen countries, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, 



