268 REVIEWS — GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 



previously conceived idea, is, that three or four individuals of the 

 Sand-hill Crane, have been in the possession of Mr. Barnett, of the 

 Museum, Niagara Falls, he tells me, for five years : and he can see no 

 change of plumage in them during the whole of that time. Now I 

 know of no bird that attains so great an age without assuming its 

 adult plumage, or, at any rate, making an approach to it. The Bald 

 Eagle takes longer than any American bird I know, and he is in full 

 plumage in the fourth year, and begins to show the white on head and 

 tail in the second or third year. And as Mr. Barnett says that his 

 Cranes have not made any change in their plumage since he had them, 

 they must have lost the characteristic brown plumage of the young 

 before he saw them and must be more than five years old. In the 

 summer of 1856 I visited the Falls, and saw a pair of young birds 

 that had been hatched that season ; they were entirely brown. The 

 parent birds were much attached to them and fiercely attacked an 

 intruder, their sharp and powerful bills making them dangerous antago- 

 nists. I regret that when sending to Mr. Barnett for information re- 

 garding the old birds, I forgot to enquire if the young birds I had 

 seen had lived, and, if so, when they had changed their plumage. 



I think the proofs are sufficient to claim specific distinction for the 

 Sand-hill Crane. It is very probable that the young of the "Whooping 

 Crane may very much resemble that of the Sand-hill, and that they 

 might easily be mistaken the one for the other. 



The specimen I procured in Illinois has one or two brown feathers 

 on the scapulars. The primaries are dusky black ; and the length is 

 nearly four feet, being as near as possible, as Wilson observes, six 

 inches less than his measurement of the "Whooping Crane. So unvary- 

 ing a measurement I think must be a specific difference. 



EEVIEWS. 



Geological Survey of Canada. Report of Progress for tTie year 1857. 

 Printed by order of the Legislative Assembly : Toronto, 1859. 



The Geological Survey continues amply to sustain the repu- 

 tation of its earlier contributions to our growing science. In the 

 Eeporfc of Progress now before us, there are many valuable additions 

 to the already large accumulation of facts belonging to the geology 



