Crowned Cranes and Stanley Cranes.



235



Von Heuglin was told that the Crowned Crane nested in the

trees in Kordofan, but it would seem unlikely.


Though these Cranes have laid occasionally at various places

in England and Europe, the only place where they have reared their

young appears to be in Holland. At the Giza Zoological Gardens in

Egypt a pair laid in 1910 and in 1913, but with no result. The

length of the egg varies from 73mm. to 75mm., and the breadth

from 53mm. to 55mm. B. pavonina is not a migratory species,

and extends roughly across Africa north of the Equator.


The other variety of Crowned Crane ( Balearica regulorum)

is no less beautiful and attractive, and is rather the tamer of the

two as a rule. It extends all over South Africa, though probably in

less numbers than formerly. In 1892—95 I saw considerable

numbers in Bechuanaland and up to the borders of Matabeleland,

also in the Kalihari, and I once saw two young birds with the old

ones in the Potchefstroom district. The natives stated they nested

near a Vlei, and a Dutchman gave me two eggs of a bluish-white colour,

which he declared were Crowned Crane eggs, and said they only laid

two. I was never fortunate enough to see any large number of these

birds, and about 20 was the most on a sandbank on the Limpopo

river. They are easily distinguished from B. pavonina by the large

wattle under throat and the cheek being white with the exception of

a very small portion at top, which is, a reddish-pink.


Another nice Crane is the Stanley Crane (A. paradisea) , which

soon becomes tame in captivity, and does not interfere with others

of its species. It is a resident of South Africa, and is found up to

Mashonaland and across to Demararaland and in the district of

Gordonia, where I once saw a few between Taungs and Upington in

the winter months. At the time I was astonished at the distance

they were from water, but it is possible that they w r ere follow¬

ing up belated Locusts. They were reputed to breed down there,

but I personally never obtained any proof of it. The general

appearance is pearl-grey colour, lighter on head, and the tail feathers

dark, and in an old bird touching the ground, legs black. It is

partially migratory only from all accounts.


The Stanley Crane stands our climate, and has nested and

reared a young one at Woburn and at another place. The nest is



