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or ei{,'ht ; but thosp wero so wary that he only succeeded in shooting two. He inc^uired 

 of the Mexicans as to where they In-ed, and was infoi-nied tliat tiieir eggs could Ik! 

 proriired at a lagoon some distance to the west of J{ag(hul, Jiocadel J\io (.Jrande. .Mr. 

 Dresser was not ahlr to go there, and was thus unal)le to test the accuracy of tiiis 

 very doid)tful infoiniation. On his return to Matanioras, in JcS(i4, he saw none at the 

 lagoons there. During his rand)les in Texas he saw this hird on only two or three 

 occasions near San Antonio, ami once at Point Isahel. Jle was told that it is occa- 

 sionally seen on (ialv(ston Island, and at the mouth of the Urazos Hiver. IVIr. .f. .\. 

 Allen was informed that it is toleraldy common in the valley of Great Salt Lake, 

 both in the sjiring and in the fall. 



Mr. lioardman writes me that, so far as he is aware, this species is wholly unknown 

 on the coast of Maine ; and 1 can find no certain evidence that it has ever been seen 

 in any i)art of New England. It is not given by Giraiul as a bird of Long Island, 

 and is very ire on any part of the coast north of the Chesapeake, though Mr. 'I'urn- 

 bnll states that, in IX")", while at Ueasley's I'oint, he saw three of this si)ecies olf the 

 inlet. They were very wary, and could not be aj)proache(l. In W'ilsoir's day a few 

 appeare<l in the marshes of Cape May in Decend)er, particularly on and near Egg 

 Island, and lingered in tho.se marshes (hiring the whole of the winter, .setting out 

 northward about the tinu' the ice lu'oke uj). During their stay they wandered about 

 the marshes and nuuhly flats near the sea-shore, occasionally sailing from ])lact! to 

 place with a low and heavy flight, just above the surface, at times uttering a loud, 

 clear, and i)iercing cry, which might be heard to the distance of two miles. This 

 singular cry — to which the Whooping Crane owes its name — is uttered with vari- 

 ous modulations. 



As Wilson considered the (J. ranndenslH to be but the immature bird of this S]iecics, 

 we cannot with certainty separate his statements and assign each where it belongs. 

 He .states that he frcfiiuMitly met with it in the low grounds and rice plantations of 

 the Southern States, noticing it near the Waccamaw IJiver, in South Carolina, on the 

 10th of February, and in a jwnd near Louisville on the L'Otli of .March. The birds 

 seen were extreuudy shy and vigilant. They would sometimes rise spirally in the 

 air to a great height, the mingled noist of the screaming, even when the flock was 

 abuost beyond the reach of sight, iesend)ling that of a i)ack of hounds in full cry. 

 On these occasions they flew around in large circles, as if reconnoitring the country 

 to a vast extent for fresh (puirters to feed in. His information in regard to their 

 breeding must be rejected as agreeing in no respect with the jirestMit reality. Audu- 

 bon also regarded the imindoisls as identical with th(! young of this species, and lie 

 gives the time of its arrival in the western country as about the middle of Octolu'v 

 or first of Xovember, in flocks of twenty or thirty, and even thrice that nund)er, 

 spreading from the Northwestern States to the Carolinas and Florida, on the s(juth- 

 east to Louisiana and the countries bordering on Mexico, in all of whicdi this Crane 

 spends the winter, returnnig north about the beginning of May. He found it on the 

 edges of large jionds, in swanqiy woods, and in extensive morasses. In its migra- 

 tions it travels l)oth by night and day. He states that in the fall, while the water 

 is low in the ponds, this bird works Avith its bill in the mud to uncover the roots ol 

 the great water-lily, which when reached it greedily devours. While intent upon 

 this the bird may be easily approached. As soon as the heavy rains fill these j)ools 

 it abandons them, and resorts to other jdaces. It is said to frequent fields in 

 which corn, jjcas. sweet potatoes, etc., have been planted, feeding on the grain and 

 peas, and digging up and devouring the potatoes. It also feeds on water insects, 

 frogs, reptiles, moles, and field-mice. Audubon once found a garter-snake fifteen 



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