Our Cranes.



115



needed was an egg. They were much pleased when I gave them one,

but they did not hatch any young birds.


It may have been noticed that I have not mentioned the

number of eggs laid at a sitting in this paper. I have now records

of forty eggs, laid by three different pairs of birds, one pair twenty-

one, another thirteen and the third six eggs respectively, and in every

instance, without a single exception, only one egg has been laid at

each sitting. From this fact it often makes it rather difficult to be

quite sure of the exact day when the single egg is laid, but from my

notes I gather that the duration of incubation is about 17-19 days

The following details will suffice for an example : found an egg laid on

the morning of March 20th ; on April 6th, the egg was chipped ; on

April 7th at 10 a.m. the egg was much the same, only rather more

chipped; at 4.30 the same afternoon the young one was hatched.

I have had eggs laid in every month of the year, the birds seem

rather, perhaps, to prefer rearing young in the winter, but they seem

ready to nest at any time, except when actually moulting.



OUR CRANES.


By Miss R. Aldekson.


Some six years ago a friend offered to give me a Crane he

had brought from Africa. I wanted it, and I did not want it ; most

people who keep birds will have gone through the same mixed feelings.

I had no aviary large enough to keep such a bird in, and to give it

full liberty in the garden meant possibly destruction to the flowers.

Also it was said to eat fish and this seemed rather a difficulty, so

I declined the Crane, though very reluctantly, and feeling terribly

ungrateful to my friend. Yet I am sure it is best to say ‘no ’ to an

offer of a pet of any kind unless you are sure you are quite happy

in having it. Most of us can keep only a limited number, and these

should be just the special kinds we really want.


I little thought that in a very short time we should have not

one Crane but two. In Jan. 1907, two Crowned Cranes were sud¬

denly sent to us by a friend out in Nigeria, and we could not refuse

them as they were already on the way. In Vol. VI. of the Maga-



