GRUSOTIS 723 



patch in the marshes, and its 2 eggs bear a considerable resem- 

 blance to those of Cr. communis, but are larger, measuring about 

 3-95 by 2-62. 



1009. SIBERIAN CRANE. 



GRUS LEUCOGERANUS. 



Or us leucogeranus, Pall. Eeis. Kuss. Keichs. ii. Anhang, p. 714, tab. 

 F. (1773) ; Gould, B. of E. iv. pi. 271 ; Temm. and Schlegel, 

 Faun. Jap. p. 118, pi. 73 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 436 ; 

 Dresser, vii. p. 359, pi. 507 ; Tegetm. and Blyth, Nat. Hist. 

 Cranes, p. 38 ; Kadde, Orn. Cauc. p. 391 ; Seebohm, B. Jap. Emp. 

 p. 349 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 261 ; (Blaauw), 

 Monogr. Cranes, p. 52, pi. xiv. and pi. xviii. fig. 5 (egg) ; Tacz. 

 F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 809 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 187. 



Beloi-Jouravl, Sterkh, Russ. ; Kilgolok, Tartar. ; Kdre-7iar, 

 Hindu. ; Shirat-dzuru, Sodeguro, Jap. 



<$ ad. (N.W. India). Entire plumage pure white except the primaries 

 which are black ; inner secondaries and scapulars elongated ; fore part of 

 head to behind the eye bare, with a few scattered hairs ; bill umber-brown ; 

 the nasal membrane and basal part, and the bare part of the head red ; 

 legs pale dull reddish pink ; iris bright pale yellow. Culmen 7 '4, wing 23'4, 

 tail 8*0, tarsus 10'9 inch. Female similar but rather smaller. Young birds 

 have the head feathered, dingy brown, and the plumage tinged with buff. 



Hob. Eastern Europe (rare), Mongolia, Manchuria, Eastern 

 Siberia, Dauria, the Amoor and Ussuri country, Japan, Northern 

 China ; a winter visitant to N.W. India. 



Frequents large open places and marshes, or localities where 

 the water is shallow, and feeds on rush seeds, bulbs, corms, and 

 even leaves of aquatic plants, being exclusively a vegetable 

 eater. When not alarmed its note is a mere chirrup, and its 

 alarm cry is very feeble as compared with that of other cranes, 

 being a mere repetition of the syllables Karekhur. I do not 

 find any particulars on record respecting its nidification, but it 

 is said to breed in Mongolia, and Mr. Blaauw figures its egg. 



OTIS, Linn., 1766. 



1010. THE BUSTARD. 



OTIS TARDA. 



Otis tarda, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 264 (1766) ; Naum. vii. p. 13,Taf. 167, 

 168 ; Hewitson, i. p. 285, pi. Ixxiii. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of E. iv. pi. 267 ; 

 id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 17 ; Dresser, vii. p. 369, pi. 508 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 284 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 193 ; 

 Saunders, p. 523 ; Lilford, v. p. 1, pi. i. 



3 B 



