204 ox THE CROWDED CRANES. [NoV. 15. 



obtained from the same locality by Miss Jardine, and another by 

 Dr. Macfarlane. George Edwards's figure, already referred to, is 

 a representation of this bird. It is as large as B. reguloi-um, 

 bnt much darker in colour, the neck and back, although really a 

 dark grey, looking almost black in comparison with those of the 

 Cape Crane. The crown is almost identical with that of the latter. 

 The beak is similar, but is horn-coloured towards the tip. The 

 skvill has similar, although smaller bony knobs, but is much 

 broader and has a larger cranial capacity. The neck-wattles are 

 red, but, although varying in size, are much smaller than in 

 B. regulorttm, and are visible only when the bird faces the 

 observer. The bare cheek-patch (text-fig. 39, p. 203) is divided by 

 a nearly horizontal line extending backwards fr-om the middle of 

 the orbit into a smaller upper portion which is white, and a 

 larger lower portion which is red, so that the disposition of the 

 colours is inverted compared with that in B. regulorum and 

 B, gibber icejis . The range of this species is given by both 

 Reichenow and the B.M. Catalogue as extending from Senegal 

 across to the Upper Nile and Abyssinia. It happens, however, 

 that all the specimens I have seen, alive or in museums, of this 

 type (excluding the type about to be described) belong to the 

 Western portion of this range. 



Balearica CECILIA Chalmers Mitchell. (TheWhite Mle Crane.) 



Balearica cecilice Chalmers Mitchell, Abstr. P. Z. S. 1904, 

 No. 10, p. 13, Nov. 22. 



The White Nile Crane appears to be the smallest of the Crowned 

 Cranes as yet known. It is rather darker than the West-African 

 form, and the crowai, especially in the living specimens, is paler 

 in colour. The beak is shorter and entirely black ; the skull arid 

 head are relatively smaller, but the velvety helmet is broader, and 

 temporal bony knobs appear to be absent. The cheek-patches (text- 

 fig. 40, p. 203) are rather more rounded than those oi B. pavonina 

 and the disposition of colour is similar, but the upper white 

 portion is very much smaller, so that at first sight the whole 

 patch appears to be much redder. The neck- wattles are red, and 

 small as in B. j)avonina. 



Early this year Lady William Cecil deposited in the Gardens in 

 Regent's Park foui- Ci'owned Cianes which she had obtained from 

 the White Nile, near Khartoum. At first sight they corre- 

 sponded with Balearica pavoni7ia, and they were registered as 

 examples of that species. On comparing them with our other 

 specimens, however, I saw that they difi'ered, and on pointing out 

 their interest to Lady William Cecil, that lady was kind enough 

 to present two to the Society. On further investigation, I thought 

 it necessary to make these birds the type of a new species, which 

 I propose to associate with the name of the donor. In the some- 

 what poor collection of skins of Crowned Cranes in the National 

 Museum, I found only two belonging to this region of Africa — one 



