476 CLASS AVES. 



in the interior of the countries of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 but more particularly in the ancient Numidia ; and they are 

 observed to arrive in Egypt at the epoch of the inundation 

 of the Nile. Some are also found on the southern coasts of 

 the Black Sea, and the Caspian ; but it is invariably marshy 

 places which they frequent. They feed indifferently on 

 grains, insects, worms, shell-moUusca, and even small fishes, 

 which they catch with great dexterity. Their cry resembles 

 the clamorous tones of the crane, but is much more feeble, 

 and sharper. 



The Common Crane (Grus Cinered) is remarkable for 

 the strength of its voice, from which the names given it in 

 many languages are obviously derived. This faculty seems 

 attributable to the numerous circumvolutions of the trachea. 

 It appears, in fact, from the observations made by Duverney, 

 on dissecting an African crane, that the trachea, piercing the 

 sternum, entered there profoundly ; and, after having formed 

 many knots, went out by the same aperture to proceed to the 

 lungs. It has been since ascertained, that in the female the 

 trachea does not penetrate so deeply into the breast as in the 

 male, and that its circumvolutions are much less numerous 

 and considerable. 



The cranes, though aborigines of the North, visit the tem- 

 perate regions, and advance towards those of the South. 

 The ancients seeing them arrive alternately from both the 

 extremities of the then known world, named them equally 

 Birds of Scythia, and Birds of Lybia. As they were accus- 

 tomed to alight in large flocks in Thessaly, Plato has deno- 

 minated that country the Pasture of the Cranes. Their 

 pretended combats with the pigmies, 



" That small infantry, 

 Warring on cranes," 



are well known ; and if there was any foundation for such a 



