58 BIRDS OF OHIO. 



69. (206.) Grus mexicana (Miill.). 339. 

 Sandhill Crane. 



Synonyms: Grus canadensis, Ardea canadensis, A. mexicana. 



Brown Crane, Southern Sandhill Crane, Common Brown 



Crane. 

 Wheaton, Ohio Agri. Report, 1860, 370, 480. 



While this crane is by no means common it is rather more 

 r/jmerous than the preceding species. It has been found 

 breeding at Chicago Junction, and near Toledo. The eggs 

 taken at Chicago Junction were successfully hatched and 

 the young reared and kept in captivity until their natural 

 death. One of the three birds of this lot was preserved by 

 Mr. E. E. Masterman, of New London, and is now in the 

 Oberlin College museum. It is a fine large bird in almost 

 perfect plumage. 



The migrations should occur at the same time as thoss 

 of the Whooping Crane. The cranes may be distinguished 

 from other birds in flight by the manner of flight. After 

 perhaps ten deliberate wing strokes there is a period 

 of soaring flight of nearly the same duration, then 

 another beating of the wings followed by a soaring, 

 and so on. When the birds settle too close to the ground 

 in this straight-away flight they circle upward by means of 

 the same style of flight as when going straight ahead. At 

 intervals they croak in concert, creating a disturbance that 

 must arrest attention. In flight, legs and neck are stretched 

 out at full length. 



Suborder RALLI. Rails, Gallinules, Coots, 



Family Rallid^. 



In food habits the species comprising this family agree in 

 general. All eat seeds, tender vegetation, worms, insects, 

 crustaceans, mollusks, and with these some rubbish. The 

 rails and gallinules live in the swamp vegetation very largely 

 while the coots live and feed more in the open water and are 

 therefore more often seen. The rails are averse to leaving 

 the cover of the grass, and will do so only when suddenly 



