1861.] MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE CHINESE CRANE. 369 



Ska to be the same animal, but that he now believed them to be 

 distinct, in accordance with the observations contained in Dr. Sclater's 

 paper. Mr. Vigne's drawings of the Koch (Ovis cycloceros) had 

 been taken at Derabend, from a tame specimen, in May 1 836 ; that 

 of the Sha's head, from a specimen obtained near Iskardol in Oct. 

 1838. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Notes on the Breeding and Rearing of the Chinese 

 Crane (Grus montignesia) in the Society's Gardens. 

 By a. D. Bartlett. 



(Plate XXXV.) 



Near the middle of May a pair of these birds formed a rude nest 

 of dry rushes on the ground ; and soon afterwards two eggs were laid. 

 The parent birds took turns upon these eggs during the time of in- 

 cubation. On the 24 th 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 as it 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 ijeep, 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 raj)id 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 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1861, No. XXIV. 



