428 



The Living Animals of the World 



the 'antelope' unfolded his broad black-tipped 

 wings and flapped off, revealed at length as a 

 whooping (white) crane." 



Another very remarkable species is the 

 CROWNED CRANE. This is an African species, and 

 takes its name from the tuft of curiously modified 

 feathers on the top of the head. The coloured 

 plate gives a good idea of its general appearance. 



THE SEKIEMA. 



This is a very hawklike-looking bird ; indeed, 

 by some ornithologists it has been regarded as 

 closely allied to the Hawks and Eagles, and 

 more especially to the Secretary-bird (page 467). 

 Really, however, it is a very ancient kind of crane. 

 The TRUMPETERS, the COURLANS, the KAGU, 

 and the SUN-BITTERN are other ornithological 

 puzzles. Concerning the precise affinities of these 

 birds much is yet to be learnt; they are, how- 

 ever, undoubtedly related to the Cranes. The 

 last mentioned is a small bird, with wonderfully beautiful wings, which it displays with great 

 pffect to its mate during the courting-season. 



CHAPTER VI. 

 GREBES AND DIVERS, PENGUINS, AND TUBE-NOSED BIRDS. 



THE GREBES AND DIVERS. 



Photo by Y. r . F. Piggotf] [Leighton Buzzard. 



GREAT CRESTED GREBE. 

 Yonng grebes in down are beautifully striped. 



Grebes and Divers 

 j are representatives of 

 an exceedingly ancient 

 type, and are in many ways 

 besides very interesting. Both 

 are common British birds. 

 The greater part of their lives 

 is spent upon the water, and 

 to suit this aquatic existence 

 their bodies are specially 

 modified. One of the principal 

 features of this modification 

 is seen in the position of the 

 legs. These, by a shortening 

 of the thigh-bones in the 

 grebes, leave the body so far 

 back that when the bird walks 

 the body is held vertically. 

 With the divers walking has 

 become an impossibility, and 

 they can only move on land 

 on their bellies, pushing 

 themselves along with the 

 feet. Both grebes and divers 



Photo by W. F. Piggott] 



BLACK-THROATED DIVERS. 

 These very handsome birds breed in Scotland. 



