WHOOPING CRANE. 213 



Bill dusky, towards the base yellow. Iris yeUow. Bare part of head 

 carmine, with the hairs black. Feet black. The plumage is pure white, 

 excepting the alula, primaries, and primary coverts, which are browTiish- 

 black. 



Length to end of tail 54 inches ; to end of wings 53, to end of claws 65; 

 extent of wings 92 ; wing from flexure 22^ ; tail 7 ; bill along the ridge 

 5/j, along the edge of the lower mandible 5j%, bare part of tibia 5 ; 

 tarsus 11;^; middle toe 4^, its claw |. 



The Young after its first autumnal moult has the sides of the head 

 feathered behind the eye, and beneath to the base of the lower mandible ; 

 the curved secondaries and their coverts are tapering and elongated, but 

 not nearly so much developed as in the old birds. The skin of the head 

 is red ; the bill brownish-black, as are the feet. Chin and sides of the 

 head greyish-white. The plumage generally is bluish-grey, but the fea- 

 thers are largely tipped and margined with yellowish-brown ; the primary 

 quills and their coverts dark bro\vn towards the end ; but with brownish- 

 white shafts ; the abdomen pure greyish-blue. 



As the bird advances in age, the yellowish-brown disappears, and the 

 general colour of the plumage becomes pure bluish-grey, which ultimately 

 changes to white. 



The trachea, which is 13 inches long to its entrance between the crura 

 of the furcula, passes into a cavity in the sternum, where it curves so as 

 to describe two-thirds of a circle, returns on the right side, and enters 

 the thorax by curving backwards. The cavity in the sternum is 2 inches 

 long, with an equal depth, and a breadth of f inch. The ridge of the keel 

 is at its fore part f in breadth, and contracts to i inch at its junction with 

 the angle of the furcula, which is continuous with it. The gizzard is of 

 moderate size ; the intestine, which is thin and small, measures 5 feet in 

 length. Boston specimen. 



