THE DEMOISELLE. 235 



Sea towards the south. It is also stated to have been 

 met with in the interior of South Africa, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Cape. 



Although, in common with the rest of its tribe, it 

 prefers marshy situations, and feeds occasionally upon 

 fishes, insects, and mollusca, a vegetable diet is more 

 congenial to its structure and habits. Its stomach is a 

 true muscular gizzard, like that of the common fowl, 

 and, as in most granivorous birds, contains a quantity 

 of gravel, evidently swallowed for the purpose of assist- 

 ing in the trituration of the hard substances on which 

 it generally subsists. It consequently prefers seeds and 

 other vegetable productions to every other kind of food. 

 The convolutions of its trachea are less extensive than 

 those of the Common Crane, and its note is therefore 

 weaker and less sonorous, although somewhat sharper. 



The gracefulness of its figure and the elegance of its 

 deportment have always rendered this bird an object of 

 peculiar attraction ; but few living specimens have been 

 brought to this country, and they have been almost 

 equally rare in France. Towards the close of the seven- 

 teenth century the Menagerie at Versailles contained 

 six individuals which bred there ; and one of the young 

 produced in that establishment lived for four and twenty 

 years. This fact is sufficient to prove that it would 

 not be difficult to acclimate them in the latitude of 

 Paris, and judging from the thriving appearance of the 

 Society's specimens there can be no reason to doubt 

 that the same experiment might be tried with success 

 in England also. They are extremely gentle and good- 

 tempered, and speedily become familiarized with capti- 

 vity and contented with their condition. It has been 

 remarked that they seem to take pleasure in being 

 noticed and admired, and exhibit themselves on such 

 occasions with a kind of ostentation, makinsx use of 



