i: AXES. 137 



These birds live in colonies composed sometimes of thousands of 

 pairs. Their day logins aft IT sunset, when they leave their roonUt and 

 start for their f.-.-.lmi; j;r..und>. Occasionally they utter a loud, hoarse 

 quatck, the origin of their common name; and looking up we may 

 catch a glimpse of them hurrying through the gloom. I>uring the 

 noting season the demands <>f the young force them to feed both by 

 day ami night. 



203. Nycticoraz violaceus i /.inn.). YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT 



HKKON i /. i 'n.wn white, generally washed with huffy; ear-covert* white ; 

 rest of the head and throat blurk ; nvk, breast, and U-lly blue-gray ; back 

 Uie Mine ; the lengthened intcrHcapulars, scapulars, and wing-coverta streaked 

 with black; two or time hluek und white rounded oeeipitul plumes; lort* 

 greenbh yellow ; leg* greenish, ///i. Crown bl<iel; the feathers xtn-uked with 

 white or but!) ; n -t .if tin u\>\<vr i>arti, ineluding wing-eovertu, funcous-hrown 

 with wedgc-uhajKxl buffy or white H|H>t; primaries dart bluinh tlntt-color 

 witkout ru/uut ; under parts white or huffy streaked with hlaekUh. L., 28-00 ; 

 W^ 1; Tar., 8-75; B., 8-00. 



Jitmarlt. Young birds War a general resemblance to those of the pre- 

 ceding species, but diib-r in being darker, in having the head darker than the 

 back, and the primari.** without rufous. 



Jtange. Breed* t'nuii southern Illinois and South Carolina southward to 

 South Amerieu. and .M-,-;i-i"iially strays north as far as MassaehuHi-tu. 



Inland, A. V. Cambridge, A. V., one record, July. 

 . a platform of sticks, in pairs, generally in a low branch overhanging 

 water. fff*, f<Jr to five, pule, dull blue, ]-yr> x 1 4.'>. 



t'nlikc the precetling, this is a rather solitary species, and is found 

 singly or in pairs along the borders of wooded streams, and never in 

 colonies. It is al-<>, 1 think, more diurnal in habits. 



ORDER PALUDICOKffi. CRANES, RAILS, ETC. 

 FAMILY GRUIDJE. CRANES. 



The Cranes nuinlxT alxmt eighteen s| <).-*. of which three are N->rth 

 American, while tin- remaining fifteen inhabit the Old World. They 

 frnpHMit filains nml mar-hes. and an* omnivorous feeders, eating 



. field-mil . snake-, etc.. and various kinds of vegetable food. 

 Our -|.eeies migrate in Mucks, but an- solitary rather than gregarious 

 at other times of the year. Their voice is loud and n-sonant. 



204. Grus amcrlcanJh '/./".>. \VM....I-IM. CRANK; WHITE CRAKE. 

 Ad. Top of the head, lores, and sides of the throat dull red, with a thin 

 growth of blaek "hairx"; primnrieji blnek, rest of the plumage white. 1m. 

 Similar, but whole head feathered, and the plumage more or less washed with 

 buffy ochraceoua. L., 60KX) ; W., 25W ; Tar., 1 1-60 ; B., 5-00. 



