618 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



Gralla- well known in Britain during former ages, and still breed- 

 tores, ing in the northern and eastern countries of Europe. 



Part loosely wing the region, part more wise, 

 In common, ranged in figure, wing their way, 

 Intelligent of seasons, and set forth 

 Their airy caravan high over seas 

 Flying, and over lands with mutual wing, 

 Easing their flight ; so steers the prudent crane 

 Her annual voyage, borne on winds, the air 

 Flotes as they pass, fann'd with unnumber'd plumes. 



In our own island the appearance of this bird now-a-days 

 may be regarded as accidental. It is a very large species, 

 measuring above four feet in height. The prevailing plu- 

 mage is of a deep ash-gray, the face and throat black, the 

 rump and tertial feathers very long, loose, flowing, decom- 

 posed. 



The whooping crane of the new world ( Gfrus Americana) 

 has a pure white plumage, with black primaries. (See 

 Plate CCCC. fig. 1.) This stately bird, when standing 

 erect, measures nearly five feet in height, and is the largest 

 of the feathered inhabitants of the United States (bating 

 Lynch law and the use of tar). It is widely spread over 

 North America, from which it usually retires in winter to 

 the West Indies, although a few hybernate in the warmer 

 parts of the Union, or even linger throughout that inclement 

 season in the swamps of New Jersey, near Cape May. When 

 wounded this crane defends itself with vigour, and has been 

 known to strike its bill through a person's hand with the 

 strength and sharpness of a dagger. It builds upon the 

 ground, and sometimes congregates in vast flocks, the cla- 

 mour of which is more easily imagined than described. It 

 was heard with astonishment by Captain Amidas, the first 

 Englishman who ever landed in North America, when he 

 visited the island of Wokokou, off the coast of North Caro- 

 lina. " Such a flock of cranes," says he, " (the most part 

 white) arose under us, with such a cry, redoubled by many 

 echoes, as if an army of men had shouted all together.'' The 

 bustle of their great migrations, and their passage, as of 

 mighty armies, fill the mind with wonder. MrNuttall, while 

 descending the Mississippi in December, observed the 

 whooping cranes in countless thousands, as if assembled 

 from all the swamps and marshes of the north and west, — as 

 if the entire continent was giving up its quota to swell the 

 mighty host. Their flight took place during the night, down 

 the great aerial valley of the river, whose southern course 

 conducted them every instant towards more genial climes. 

 " The clangour of these numerous legions passing along, 

 high in the air, seemed almost deafening ; the confused cry 

 of the vast army continued with the lengthened procession, 

 and as the vocal call continued nearly throughout the whole 

 night without intermission, some idea may be formed of the 

 immensity of the numbers now assembled on their annual 

 journey to the regions of the south." Several other fine 

 cranes inhabit America, as well as Africa, and the East. 



The beautiful Balearic crane (A. pavonina, Linn.) be- 

 longs to the genus Anthrofoides of Vieillot. (Plate 

 CCCXCIX. fig. 9.) It occurs in Africa and in some of 

 the Mediterranean islands. The Demoiselle (A. virgo), re- 

 markable for its peculiar and what may be almost called 

 affected gestures, is nearly allied. It is likewise of African 

 origin, as is also the Stanley crane (Anth. Stanleyanus), 

 belonging to the same restricted group, and more recently 

 described by Mr Vigors. 1 



In the genus Psophia, which contains the South Ame- 

 rican trumpeters, so called from their peculiar voices, the 

 bill is less elongated, and the head and neck clothed with 

 short down-like feathers. P. crepitans is easily domesti- 

 cated, and becomes much attached both to places and to 

 persons. It is even said to act as a guard or conductor to 



domestic poultry. It flies indifferently, but runs with great 

 swiftness. (Plate CCCXCIX. fig. Y.) There are only two 

 species. 



The genus Aramus of Vieillot is constituted by the 

 courliri of Buffon, or scolopaceous heron, of which the 

 bill, slenderer and more deeply cleft, is inflated towards the 

 tip. The toes, all rather long, have no palmation. The 

 only known species (Ar. scolopaceus) inhabits Cayenne, 

 Brazil, and Paraguay, spreading into Florida and other 

 southern parts of the Union. It is a shy and solitary bird, 

 dwelling in pairs, and crying in a loud sonorous voice, con- 

 tinually by night and day, carau, carau. It runs swiftly, 

 and builds upon the ground, but often lights on trees. It 

 is not fond of wading. 



A still more singular bird, classed by Linnaeus with the 

 herons (Ardea helias), is the caurale snipe of Latham, which 

 now forms the genus Eurypyga of Illiger. " C'est un 

 oiseau," says Cuvier, " de la taille d'un perdrix, a qui son 

 cou long et menu, sa queue large et etalee, et ses jambes 

 peu elevees, donnent un air tout different de celui des au- 

 tres oiseaux de rivage. Son plumage, nuance par bandes et 

 par lignes, de brun, de fauve, de roux, de gris, et de noir, 

 rappelle les plus beaux papillons de nuit. On le trouve 

 le long des rivieres de la Guiane." 2 



The second group of the cultrirostral tribe, composed 

 chiefly of the herons, is more strictly carnivorous than the 

 preceding. 



The first genus is Cancroma, Linn., composed likewise 

 of a single species called the boat-bill — C. cochlearia. The 

 bill is comparatively short, but very broad, boat-shaped, 

 with the upper mandible overlapping the lower. It inha- 

 bits the moist hot regions of South America, frequenting 

 the banks of rivers, preying on fish, and building its nest 

 on low bushes. It is of an irritable passionate nature, and 

 when enraged raises the feathers of its crest, so as to al- 

 ter its usual aspect surprisingly. As it scarcely ever fre- 

 quents the sea-coast, its alleged propensity to feed on crabs 

 is probably ill founded. The boat-bill varies considerably 

 in plumage, but it does not appear that there is more than 

 one authentic species. 



The genus Ardea, Cuv., contains the true herons. The 

 bill is as long or longer than the head, strong, hard, straight, 

 compressed, sharp-pointed ; the masticating edges sharp, 

 the culmen rounded. The eyes are encircled by a bare 

 skin, which extends to the base of the bill. The herons 

 form a considerable group, almost all of which, according 

 at least to our particular taste, are remarkable for beauty 

 of plumage. They seldom, however, exhibit a preponde- 

 rance of the brighter or more gaudy colours, such as red 

 or yellow, being chiefly distinguished by a delicate har- 

 monious blending of pearly-gray and brown, black, white, 

 pale blue, slate-colour, and other sober hues. The forms 

 of the plumage are graceful and elegant. Long pendent 

 plumes frequently ornament the hinder portions of the 

 head and neck, the lower part of the breast, and the dorsal 

 region. The body is usually small and light, the limbs long 

 and delicate, the toes narrow and taper, and the neck thin, 

 pliant, and extremely graceful. Many species formerly re- 

 garded as true herons are now excluded from the modern 

 genus. The habits of the heron tribe are fully as aquatic as 

 those of the majority of Grallatores. They usually walk, 

 or rather wade, along the shores of lakes, rivers, stagnant 

 marshes, or the land-locked waters of narrow seas, in search 

 of their natural food, which consists of fish, frogs, several 

 marine and fresh-water shells, slugs, worms, and various 

 insects. During flight they extend their legs backwards 

 instinctively, as if to counterbalance the weight of the an- 

 terior extremity, and by a duplication of the neck they 

 lower the head between the shoulders. In some instances 



Gralla- 

 tores. 



1 Zoo!. Journal, vol. ii. p 234, pi viii. 



Rignc Animal, torn. i. p. 509. 



