GRUID.E BALEARICA 283 



(Eickard), King William's Town (Trevelyan) ; Natal near Newcastle 

 (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony near Bloemfontein (Barratt), near 

 Lindley, breeding December (Sparrow) ; Transvaal Potchef- 

 stroom and Bloemhof district (Ayres) ; Mashonaland (Ayres and 

 Marshall) ; Damaraland and Great Namaqualand during the rainy 

 season (Andersson). 



Habits. The Blue Crane is certainly the most common of South 

 African Cranes. It is most abundant on the open plains of the high 

 veld, and is generally met with not far from water. During the 

 breeding season it is to be seen in pairs, but later on in the winter 

 in considerable flocks sometimes of as many as fifty birds. Its food 

 consists of small reptiles, fishes and large insects, especially locusts 

 and grasshoppers, but it also eats roots and seeds as well, and often 

 frequents cultivated ground to feed on grain. In captivity it will take 

 almost anything offered to it. Its voice is a very curious, far-reach- 

 ing, guttural croak, very easily recognisable if once heard. It is wary 

 and difficult to approach, and cannot be easily secured except with 

 a rifle. Holub states that it spends the night knee-deep in water, 

 while Ortlepp asserts that it is even sometimes frozen in in winter. 



Major Sparrow informs me that this Crane makes no nest, but 

 deposits its egg in the short grass of the bare veld. He found two 

 clutches near Lindley in the Orange Eiver Colony, one of two eggs, 

 one of one egg, both in the month of December. In the follow- 

 ing year he found two chicks just hatched near Newcastle on 

 December 3rd, and one hard set egg next day near Dannhauser. 



Eggs in the South African Museum are smaller than those of 

 the Wattled Crane, and are a good deal darker; they are light 

 brown, clouded and blotched with a darker brown of a purplish 

 shade, and measure 3*55 x 2-35. 



The Blue Crane becomes very tame when kept in captivity and 

 takes food from the hand, eating fruit and vegetables. It is an 

 exceedingly amusing bird to watch, as it dances to and fro with 

 wings half outstretched, bowing and waving its head from side to 

 side. It dislikes children and strange objects. 



Genus III. BALEARICA. 



Type. 



Balearica, Briss. Orn. v, p. 511 (1760) B. pavonina. 



Bill short and stout, distinctly shorter than the middle toe ; 

 nostrils oblique ovals ; crown of the head covered with short black 

 velvety plumes ; a tuft of straw-like bristles on the nape of the neck ; 



