Mr. A. D. Bartlett on the Chinese Crane. 825 
cubation. On the 24th of June a young Crane was hatched, the period 
of incubation having been thirty days. 
The young bird was well covered with down of a light-brown or 
fawn colour, with darker markings on the back ; it was short on its 
legs, and the bill also appeared short; in fact, it appeared less 
like a Crane than I expected to see it. It was able to walk about 
as soon asit was hatched, but appeared feeble, and now and then fell 
or rolled over in its attempts to follow its parents. 
The old birds attended to the young one with much care, and 
furiously attacked everything that came near the place; they col- 
lected worms and beetles, &c., from all parts of their enclosure, which 
they brought in their bills towards the young bird, and after muti- 
lating all living food, they would hold it near the young bird, who 
would advance and pick it from their bills, or from the ground as 
soon as it was dropped by them. The young Crane never opens its 
mouth and cries for food like the Storks or Herons and many other 
young birds, but utters a rather loud note, like peep, peep, peep, not 
unlike the chick of a common fowl ; it is not, however, as adroit and 
able to obtain its food as the young of the Gallinaceous birds gene- 
rally are; and consequently the parent birds are far more attentive, 
and watch every opportunity of obtaining food and preparing it for 
the young one. I have frequently seen the old birds offer a piece of 
biscuit (that the young bird found was too large tc swallow), and they 
then would place it upon the ground, and by repeated blows break it 
up in small pieces, and then drop these close to the young bird, who 
would pick them up and swallow them. From these observations I 
am induced to consider that the Cranes (Grus) occupy an interme- 
diate position between those birds that feed their young like the He- 
rons and Storks, and those groups, like the Bustards and Plovers, 
whose young are at once able to run about and seek their food. 
Perhaps the most remarkable thing is the rapid growth of the 
young Crane, which is very surprising. As I have before stated, at 
first the legs are short ; in fact, as compared with the parents, the 
bird is remarkably small, and few persons would guess what it 
ossibly could be; in a few days, however, the legs begin to grow 
rapidly, and the neck and bill become elongated, and the bird quickly 
appears a Crane in shape. 
From the time of hatching, the female alone broods upon or nestles 
the bird, although the male takes turn in the task of incubation; and 
I notice the female does not squat down on the young one to brood, 
but sits down on the ground near it, and the young bird imme- 
diately walks behind her ; she then raises her long black plumes, be- 
tween which he creeps, and passes forward under one of her wings, 
until quite out of sight; her plumes are then lowered into their 
ordinary position. 
There is a beautiful example of the progressive growth from the 
first down to the perfect feathers to be seen on the young of this bird. 
I have in many birds observed this, but not to so great an extent. It 
appears that the first down is not thrown off, but continues to grow 
longer, until the perfect feather is developed having the early down 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol. ix. 
