422 SANDHILL CRANE. 



eating it. This Bittern lived until cold weather, when he drooped and died. The Least 

 Bitterns are migratory but some winter in Southern Florida. 



ORDER XV, ALECTORIDES. CRANES, ETC. 



Leys, long, and naked above the tarsal joint. Posterior toe, present, and more or Jess 

 elevated above the level of the anterior toes. Keel, usually exceeding in height the width of 

 the sternum. Marginal indentations, absent, or two and deep. 



This order includes the Cranes, Courlans, Rails, Gullinules, Coots, etc., all of which 

 are widely distributed, but are better represented in the Temperate and Torrid Zones than 

 elsewhere. The young are covered with down and run at birth. 



FAMILY I. GRUID^l. THE CRANES. 



Bill, long, straight, and deeply grooved. Terminal portion offurcula, joined firmly 

 to tip of keel, which is high, thick, and greatly exceeds the width of the sternum which is nar- 

 row and without marginal indentations. Anterior portion of keel projected forward, widened, 

 and hollowed to receive a bend of the trachea. 



Members of this family are all very large, powerful birds. The stomach is muscular, 

 and the intestines are long and slender, but the coeca are usually small. The legs are 

 long but the toes are quite short. 



GENUS 1. GRUS. THE 'TRUE CRANES. 



GEN. CH. Top of head, destitute, of feathers in adults and covered with small scales. Sternum, narrow, with the pos- 

 terior margin indented. Tertiaries, elongated and curved downward. 



Members of this genus have the sternum narrow, equaling about one half the width of the coracoids. The tibia is na- 

 ked for its lower half. Sexes, similar. There are two species within our limits. 



GRUS GANADENSIS. 



Sandhill Crane. 

 Grus Canadensis TEMM., Anal. 



DESCRIPTION. 



SP. Cn. Form, robust. Size, large. Tongue, long, slender, and tapering gradually to tip which is pointed. Naked 

 space on head, scalloped behind. 



COLOR. Adult. Slaty-blue throughout, becoming dark-brown on primaries. Iris, ruby-red. Naked space about 

 head, lake. Legs and bill, black. Youny. Similar, but tinged with yellowish above, and the iris is yellow. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Readily known by the large size and bluish color. See succeeding species for further comparison. Distributed, in 

 summer, throughout the West. Constantly resident in Florida. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of specimens from Florida. Length, 41-00; stretch, 73'00; wing, UrSO; tail, 8-SJ5; bill, 5-00; tar- 

 sus, 9'50. Longest specimen, 42*00; greatest extent of wing, 74-00; longest wing, 20*00; tail, 9 50; bill, 5'10; tarsus, 10*00. 

 Shortest specimen, 40*00; smallest extent of wing, 72-00; shortest wing, 19-00; tail, 7'00; bill, 4*90; tarsus, 9*00. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed on the ground in marshy places, composed of mud, grass, weeds, etc. Eyys, two in number, rather el- 

 liptical in form, ashy-yellow in color, spotted and blotched irregularly with reddish-brown and umber. Dimensions from 

 a* 15x3-40 to 2-21x3-65. 



HA HITS. 



The first time that I ever met with a living Sandhill Crane, was at Lake Harney. I 

 had wandered out into the piney woods which at that point, are quite low with an occasional 



