WHOOPING CRANE. 207 



advanced towards me with open bill, and eyes glancing with anger. I 

 cannot tell you whether it was from feeling almost exhausted with the 

 fatigue of the chase ; but, however it was, I felt unwilling to encounter 

 my antagonist, and keeping my eye on him, moved backwards. The far- 

 ther I removed, the more he advanced, until at length I fairly turned my 

 back to him, and took to my heels, retreating with fully more speed than 

 I had pursued. He followed, and I was glad to reach the river, into 

 which I plunged up to the neck, calling out to my boatmen, who came 

 up as fast as they could. The Crane stood looking angrily on me all the 

 while, immersed up to his belly in the water, and only a few yards dis- 

 tant, now and then making thrusts at me with his bill. There he stood 

 until the people came up ; and highly delighted they were with my situa- 

 tion. However, the battle was soon over, for, on landing, some of them 

 struck the winged warrior on the neck with an oar, and we carried him 

 on board. 



While in the Floridas, I saw only a few of these birds alive, but many 

 which had been shot by the Spaniards and Indians, for the sake of their 

 flesh and beautiful feathers, of which latter they make fans and fly- 

 brushes. None of these birds remain there during summer ; and Wil- 

 liam Bartram, when speaking of this species, must have mistaken the 

 Wood Ibis for it. 



The young are considerably more numerous than the old white birds ; 

 and this circumstance has probably led to the belief among naturalists 

 that the former constitute a distinct species, to which the name of Canada 

 Crane, Grus canadensis, has been given. This, however, I hope, I shall 

 be able to clear up to your satisfaction. In the mean time, I shall con- 

 tinue my remarks. 



According to circumstances, this species roosts either on the ground 

 or on high trees. In the latter case, they leave their feeding-ground 

 about an hour before sun-set, and going off in silence, proceed towards 

 the interior of high land forests, where they alight on the largest branches 

 of lofty trees, six or seven settling on the same branch. For half an 

 hour or so, they usually dress their plumage, standing erect : but after- 

 wards they crouch in the manner of Wild Turkeys. In this situation 

 they are sometimes shot by moonlight. Those which resort to planta- 

 tions, situated in the vicinity of large marshes, covered with tall grasses, 

 cat's tails, and other plants, spend the night on some hillock, standing on 

 one leg, the other being drawn under the body, whilst the head is thrust 



