34S



Practical Bird-Keeping.



My humble remarks will, I hope, be of help to attain

success, and are meant as such, not that I want to imply that

my way is the best, I merely state the conditions that answer

admirably here.


The call of the different species of Crane differs consider¬

ably, no two are alike ; to describe them correctly requires the

skill of an artist, and it would be a complete failure on my part,

not knowing a note of music, to attempt it. The male and female

are so much alike that, unless you know what sign to look for,

it is a difficult matter to tell them. When the birds are calling or

showing fight the pair usually stands together and the female

holds her head quite upright, not a movement of her body takes

place; on the other hand, the male stands likewise, but at each

note he throws up both wings from behind, leaving his back and

tail quite exposed : this goes on for a minute or two with auto¬

matic regularity. The fighting attitude of the Asiatic Crane is

most amusing: he stands quite still, with his great bill hidden

iu his tail and end of wing-feathers, and when about to be

attacked by anything, and the foolish being comes within

striking distance, out conies the bill like a flash of lightning,

and is used with terrible effect. This action puts one in mind of a

man drawing his sword from its sheath in haste to defend himself.


The males of the Demoiselle and Crowned Cranes are not

so easy to determine, one has to be guided by the action of the

birds : they usually are slightly larger, and with well-defined

lines of plumage and also the voice of the male is much deeper

in tone and more prolonged.


During the migration period, in spring and autumn, all

Cranes, without exception, get very excited in the hope of getting

away, making determined attempts to get on the wing, in spite of

being pinioned, especially if a strong wind is on. You will see

them go down wind to the extreme end of the enclosure, then

start to run and fly their hardest up wind, and very often clear

the fence and land in another enclosure, when they are promptly

attacked by the rightful owners. At these times the call is much

more shrill, the Sat us can be heard several miles away down wind.



The photographs of the Demoiselle Cranes, reproduced with this

article, was kindly sent by Mr. J. C. Phipups, of Knobfields, Wenhatn, Mass.



