THE CRANES. Ill 



THE TRUE CRANES. SUB-ORDER GRUES. 



In these birds the anterior part of the breast-bone is per- 

 forated to receive the convolutions of the trachea, as in some of 

 the Swans. The palate is schizognathous and the nostrils are 

 holorhinal. The tail-feathers are twelve in number. The bill 

 is stout and of about the same length as the head itself, the 

 lower mandible being slightly grooved. The nasal depression 

 extends for more than half the length of the upper mandible, 

 and the nostril is shut in by a membrane behind. The inner 

 secondaries are rather longer than the primaries, and they 

 are generally composed of drooping plumes, with the feathers 

 rather loose and ornamental. 



I. THE COMMON CRANE. GRUS GRUS. 



Ardeagriis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 234 (1766). 



Gnis cinereci) Meyer and Wolf, Taschenb. ii. p. 350(1810); 



Macg. Brit. B. iv. p. 20 (1852); Seeb. Brit. B. ii. p. 570 



(1884). 

 Grits communis, Bechst. ; Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 337, pi. 505 



(1873) ; B. O. U. List Brit. B. p. 152 (1883) ; Saunders, 



cd. Yarr. Brit. B. iii. p. 178 (1883) ; id. Man. Brit. B. p. 



507 (1889) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xii. (1890). 

 Grusgrus, Shar|;e, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 250 (1894). 

 (Plate LXX1IL) 



Adult Male General colour above dark ashy-grey ; wing- 

 coverts like the back, the greater series clearer grey and some- 

 what blackish towards their ends ; bastard- wing black, preceded 

 by a row of grey-coverts, preceding the primary-coverts, which 

 are black like the primaries, and somewhat shaded with grey 

 near the base ; secondaries for the most part dark grey, more 

 or less blackish on the outer webs and tips, the inner web 

 lighter grey ; the innermost secondaries lanceolate, slaty-grey 

 with black tips ; upper tail-coverts grey, as also the tail-feathers, 

 the latter blackish towards the ends ; crown of head and lores 

 bare, only covered by blackish hair-like bristles ; nape with a 

 triangular patch of dark slate-colour ; hind-neck white, as well 



