Cranes in Captivity.



53



degree, have included examples of all the known species of Cranes

in their collections ; the ability to do this, however, does not fall to

the lot of everyone, for many of the species are very costly as well

as difficult to procure.


Cranes appear to the greatest advantage when they can be

allowed to run—pinioned, of course—in a large paddock or other

similar place, a park for example. They are birds that require a

good deal of exercise. Some of the different species of Cranes breed

in captivity, but in such a case not more than one pair of birds

should be in one enclosure ; they make their nest on the ground, of

reeds, rushes, and tall grass, with a few sticks. Two eggs are

usually laid, but there generally the matter ends in the case of the

ordinary aviculturist, for the eggs do not always hatch out, or if they

do, the parents do not succeed in rearing the young. The great crux

in the rearing of young Cranes hatched in captivity is providing an

adequate supply of insect life as food. No one hut those who have

persevered time after time, in spite of many failures, realises what an

enormous amount of soft-bodied insects these young Cranes require

and how indefatigably the parents work in hunting and searching all

over the paddock in order that the nestlings may have a proper and

sufficient supply of food. It appears absolutely necessary that the

insects for feeding the young Cranes must have soft bodies as I have

repeatedly noticed the old birds, when given a large dish of mealworms,

carefully pick out those that had just sloughed their hard coats for

the nestlings and eat the others themselves. This seems rather

strange, for adult Cranes will eat the hardest coated beetles with

the greatest enjoyment, and when during the summer months flights

of dor-beetles are common, the Cranes soon get to know, and in the

evenings may be noticed searching the railings and tree-trunks of

their enclosure for such of these insects as have settled after their

flight.


One very great advantage that Cranes possess over Herons as

pets is that they do not need such a quantity of purely animal food

(fish, liver, etc.) as do the latter birds, but may be fed on soaked

dog-biscuits, bread, grain, and insect food. When the latter runs

short it may be necessary to give a little flesh or fish to make up

for the deficiency of the other, but so long as earth-worms, grubs and



