CRANE. 191 



represented as cut away, to shew the character and depth 

 of the insertion. 



It will be observed that the furcula, or merrythought, is 

 not here a single, slightly-attached bone, but has the point 

 of union of the two branches firmly ossified to the keel, or 

 may be considered as a prolongation of the anterior portion 

 of the keel itself extended to the head of each clavicle, and 

 affording a firm support to the wings.* 



In the adult male, the beak is greenish-horn, flesh-coloured 

 at the base, lighter in colour towards the point ; the irides 

 reddish ; the forehead black ; the crown red and warty ; nape 

 and upper neck, dark bluish-ash ; chin, throat, and front of 

 the neck, of the same dark colour, but descending four or five 

 inches lower in front ; from the eye, over the ear-coverts, and 

 downwards on the side of the neck, dull white ; general colour 

 of the back, wings, rump, tail-feathers, and all the under 

 surface of the body, ash-grey; wing-primaries black; the 

 tertials elongated, the webs unconnected, and reaching 

 beyond the ends of the primaries. The well-known plumes 

 of the Crane are these tertial feathers, with their uncon- 

 nected webs forming long hair-like filaments, which the bird 

 can elevate or depress at pleasure. They were formerly 

 much worn as ornaments on the head. These and the tail- 

 feathers are varied and tipped with bluish-black ; under 

 surface of wings and the axillary plume light grey; legs 

 and toes bluish-black ; claws black. 



The whole length of the bird described is four feet. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, twenty-one 

 inches ; the first quill-feather a little shorter than the fourth, 

 but a little longer than the fifth ; the second and third 

 feathers nearly equal in length, and the longest in the wing. 

 The beak measures four inches and a half; the tarsus nine 

 inches, the bare part of the leg above it four inches. 



The sexes, when old, are nearly alike in plumage, but the 

 males are larger and rather darker than the females. Young 



* For important observations on the Convolutions of the Trachea in the 

 Gruidce and in some other families, see Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier's Appendix to 

 Blyth's 'Monograph of the Cranes' (1881). 



