NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



149 



WHOOPING CRANE. 



The Paradise Crane, (Tetrapteryx paradisea), of the open 

 plains of Africa outside the deserts, is a slaty-blue bird with 

 a head so puffed out with side feathers that it looks almost 

 reptilian. Its tail-feathers taper out to infinity, and grace- 

 fully droop quite to the ground. The little African De- 

 moiselle Crane, (Anthropoides virgo), is so diminutive, so 

 dainty in appearance and so gentle-spirited that its young- 

 ladylikeness has been proclaimed in its name. Of all 

 foreign species of cranes, it is the one easiest to procure, 

 and the most satisfactory to keep in collections. It never 

 quarrels, it is very sociable in its habits, and thrives in 

 captivity. 



The Crowned Crane, (Balearica pavonina}, also of Africa, 

 is, perhaps, the most beautiful of all living cranes. It is of 

 medium size, royally colored, and strikingly set off with a 

 conspicuous crown of stiff, quill-like feathers that stand as 

 erect and regular as the aigret of an Indian prince, 



