52S 
. GRUS. CRANE. 
Generic Character, 
Rostrum capite fere duplo i 
longius, validum, rectum, 
compressum, utrinque sul- 
catum, integrum aut sub- 
denticulatum. 
Nares in medio maxillae sitae, 1 
postico membrana clausae. 
Capw^autnudum papillosum, ^ 
aut plumosum. 
Pedes tetradactyli, jSssi, di- j 
giti exteriores basi mem- 
brana connexi. 
Grus. Briss. Temm. Vieil. Cuv. 
Ardea. Lmn. Gmel. Lath, 
Beak nearly twice as long as 
the head, strong, straight, 
compressed, sulcated on 
each side, entire, or slight- 
ly notched. 
Nostrils placed in the middle 
of the maxilla, and closed 
by a membrane behind. 
Head either naked and pa- 
pillated, or feathered. 
Feet four-toed, cleft ; the 
outer toes connected at the 
base by a membrane. 
The Cranes subsist on herbs, seeds, worms, 
frogs, and slugs : they reside in marshy places, 
rarely visiting the sea shores, and are found in 
various parts of the world, but only one is a native 
of Europe : there are several sections of them, 
differing in many respects, as hereafter noticed ; 
and in most of the species the trachea of the male 
is of a singular construction, having several con- 
volutions : in the -rest both sexes have the same 
conformation. 
