﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  269 
  

  

  Grus 
  mexicana 
  (Miiller) 
  

   Sandhill 
  Crane 
  

  

  Plate 
  24 
  

  

  A 
  r 
  d 
  e 
  a 
  (Grus) 
  mexicana 
  Miiller. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Sup. 
  1776. 
  p. 
  no 
  

   Grus 
  americana 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  218 
  (part) 
  

   Grus 
  mexicana 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  206 
  

  

  mexicd'na, 
  of 
  Mexico 
  

  

  Description. 
  Whole 
  plumage 
  brownish 
  gray, 
  or 
  bluish 
  gray; 
  bare 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  dull 
  red 
  sparsely 
  overgrown 
  with 
  stiff 
  hairs. 
  Young: 
  

   Varied 
  with 
  rusty 
  brown 
  ; 
  the 
  head 
  entirely 
  feathered. 
  

  

  Length 
  40-48 
  inches; 
  extent 
  80; 
  wing 
  21-22.5 
  '- 
  "tail 
  9 
  ; 
  bill 
  5-6, 
  depth 
  at 
  

   base 
  .95-1.1; 
  tarsus 
  9.5-10.6; 
  middle 
  toe 
  3.5; 
  tibia 
  bare 
  4.6-5. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  persist 
  in 
  calling 
  the 
  Great 
  blue 
  heron 
  a 
  

   •crane, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  have 
  a 
  superficial 
  resemblance 
  to 
  each 
  

   other, 
  but 
  belong 
  to 
  different 
  orders 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  different 
  in 
  details 
  of 
  

   structure 
  and 
  habits. 
  A 
  slight 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  description 
  and 
  plate 
  24 
  

   ivill 
  show 
  the 
  difference 
  between 
  them. 
  Furthermore 
  the 
  crane 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States, 
  except 
  in 
  very 
  rare 
  instances. 
  

  

  Although 
  this 
  bird 
  occurred 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  dtiring 
  colonial 
  times, 
  neither 
  

   Oiraud 
  nor 
  DeKay 
  mention 
  it 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  within 
  our 
  borders. 
  

   It 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  Dr 
  Bergtold's 
  Buffalo 
  List 
  as 
  an 
  accidental 
  visitant, 
  on 
  

   the 
  authority 
  of 
  Charles 
  Linden 
  and 
  Otto 
  Besser. 
  Mr 
  Posson 
  in 
  his 
  manu- 
  

   script 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Orleans 
  county 
  states 
  that 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  

   -species 
  "was 
  secured 
  near 
  Albion 
  about 
  1880, 
  and 
  another 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   ■Clarendon, 
  about 
  1886." 
  Mr 
  David 
  Bruce 
  writing 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  Museum 
  

   says, 
  "a 
  fine 
  example 
  was 
  shot 
  by 
  Mark 
  Cooke 
  of 
  Brockport, 
  May 
  20, 
  1885. 
  

   It 
  was 
  in 
  fine 
  plumage 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place." 
  

   This 
  is 
  evidently 
  the 
  second 
  specimen 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  Mr 
  Posson, 
  who 
  gives 
  

   David 
  Bruce 
  as 
  his 
  authority. 
  I 
  have 
  talked 
  with 
  Mr 
  Bruce 
  and 
  others 
  

   who 
  saw 
  this 
  specimen 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  fire 
  in 
  the 
  meat 
  market 
  

   at 
  Brockport, 
  and 
  am 
  convinced 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  error 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   identity 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  or 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  its 
  capture. 
  

  

  