THE SANDHILL CRANE. 



THK saiulhill crane is so often 

 confused, in the popular mind, 

 with the great blue heron, 

 that it may not be amiss to sug- 

 gest the real differences between thtm. 

 We should first remember that the 

 crane is not found east of Illinois, ex- 

 cept casually or accidentally, but is 

 numerous from Illinois westward to the 

 western border of the plains during the 

 migrations. It ranges as far north as 

 Manitoba. The great blue heron is 

 pretty evenly distributed over the 

 whole of North America. The cranes 

 usually, if not always, migrate in greater 

 or lesser flocks, alternately circling 

 upward to considerable heights and 

 sailing straight away, with both soaring 

 and flapping motion, and with pro- 

 digious croakings. The herons mi- 

 grate singly or in pairs, with long, 

 steady sweep of the wings, and make 

 no outcry. Close at hand the two spe- 

 cies would hardly be confused by an 

 ordinarily careful observer, but these 

 large birds are rarely seen close at 

 hand. 



The feeding habits of the two birds 

 are very similar, and to this superficial 

 similarity is largely due the confusion, 

 I suspect. Both wade into the water 

 searching for some hapless frog or toad, 

 often standing motionless for minutes 

 at a time until the victim comes within 

 range of the sharply-pointed beak, when 

 a lightning-like movement of the head 

 sends the beak completely through the 

 creature, killing and capturing it with 

 one stroke. The long legs and neck 

 are admirably adapted to this kind of 

 fishing. 



Colonel N. S. Goss describes the 



courting antics of these imgainly birds 

 as extremely ludicrous at times. A 

 veritable Indian war dance, in fact, in 

 which the females join heartily, and 

 like the war dance, stopping only when 

 the last participant falls down with 

 exhaustion. It seems to be a sort of 

 promiscuous wedding ceremony for the 

 whole company. 



The crane nests on the dry, flat 

 prairie, usually scraping together some 

 wisps of dry grass, but often with not 

 even this poor excuse for a nest. Here 

 two to four drab-brown colored, rough- 

 shelled eggs are laid and the young 

 reared. 



Size seems to be the only criterion 

 which determines what the crane may 

 eat. Perhaps it might better be said, 

 what he will swallow. He seems to 

 relish stones, pocket-knives, steel nails 

 and the like fully as well as the choic- 

 est bit of frog or toad. Like many 

 other birds, however, he regurgitates 

 the indigestible matter, and so takes 

 no harm from this promiscuous diet. 

 Many of us may have reason to envy 

 him this capacity. 



Dr. P. L. Hatch, in his "Birds of 

 Minnesota," gives an interesting de- 

 scription of the fighting qualities of a 

 pet crane which he offered to pit 

 against any and all canines, one at a 

 time. One valiant mastiff, which es- 

 sayed to do battle with his craneship, 

 entered the ring with all the confidence 

 of an unbroken record of victories, but 

 a moment later he "stayed not on the 

 order of his going," carrying with him 

 the exact pattern of the crane's beak. 

 No other canines ever volunteered for 

 a similar service. 



