532 GEUS CANADENSIS, SANDHILL CEANE. 



This tall and stately white bird, of the most imposing appearance of 

 any of this country, I have only seen on the broad prairie, or soaring 

 on motionless pinion in spiral curves high overhead. Its immense 

 stature is sometimes singularly exaggerated by that quality of the 

 prairie air which magnifies distant objects on the horizon, transforming 

 sometimes a weed into a man, or making a Wild Turkey excite suspicion 

 of a buffalo. The most fabulous accounts of a Crane's size might read- 

 ily arise without intentional deception. I have known a person to mis- 

 take a Sandhill Crane for one of his stray mules, and go in search ; 

 and another enthusiastic teamster once declared that some he saw were 

 " bigger than his six-mule ;team." Once, while antelope-shooting on 

 the prairie, my comiDanion — a good hunter — and myself saw what we 

 took to be an antelope standing quietly feeding with his broad, white 

 stern toward us, and only about five hundred yards off. We attempted, 

 for at least fifteen minutes, to " flag" the creature up to us, waving a 

 handkerchief on a ramrod in the most approved style. This proving 

 unavailing, my friend proceed to stalk the game, and crawled on his 

 belly for about half the distance before the "antelope" unfolded his 

 broad black-tipped wings and flapped off, revealed at length as a 

 Whooping Crane. 



GEUS CANADENSIS, (Linn.) Temm. 



Brown or Sandhill Crane. 



Ardea canadensis, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 234 (Edw., i, 33 ; Briss., v, 385). — FoRST., 

 Philos. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 382, 409 (Severn Eiver).— Gji., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 6-20.— 

 Lath., Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 675 (Arct. Zool. ii, 443; Gen. Syn. v, 43). 



Grus canadensis, Temm., Anal. p. c. — Bp., Syn. 1828, No. 225; Consp. ii, 1855, 98. — Sab., 

 Frankl. Journ. 685.— EiCH., Parry's 2d Voy. 353.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 

 373.— NtTT., Man. ii, 1834, 38.— Bry., Pr. Bost. Soc. iv, lbo3, .303 (critical); -sii, 

 1859, p. 14. — WooDH., Sitgr. Eep. 1853, 96 (New Mexico and Arizona).— Gdkw,., 

 J. f. O. iv, 1856, 339 (Cuba, breeding).— Newb., P. K. R. Rep. vi, 1857, 97 (Pacific 

 coast).- Bd., B. N. a. 1858, 655.— Heerm., P. R. E. Eep. x, 18.59, pt. vi, 62 (Cali- 

 fornia).— iLixra., J. f. 0. vii, 1859, 84.— Coop. & Suck., X. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 

 227.— Wheat., Ohio Agric. Rep. 1860, No. 182.— Hayd., Eep. I>i62, 173 (Ne- 

 braska). — Hoy, Smiths. Eep. 1864, 438 (Western Missouri). — Dress., Ibis, 1866, 

 30 (Texas).— CoUES, Pr. PMla. Acad. 1866, 95 (Colorado and Gila Rivers, abun- 

 dant). — Allen, Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1868, 501 (Iowa, migratory and breeding). — 

 Dall & Bann., Tr. Chic. Acad. 1, 1869, 289 (Alaska, common, breeding).— Allen, 

 Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1«71, 357 (Florida, abundant). — Trippe, Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 

 118 (Minnesota, very common, breeding); Pr. Bost. Soc. xv, 1872, 240 (Iowa, 

 " vast numbers in migration"). — Aiken, ibid. 209 (Colorado, common in migra- 

 tion).— Merr., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1872, 702 (Idaho).— CoUES, Key, 1872, 

 271. — Snow, B. Kans. 1673, 9 (abundant in migrations). — Eidgw., Ann. Lye. 

 X. Y. X, 1874, 387 (Illinois). 



Ardea canadensis var. /3, Lath., Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 676 (Mexico). 



G-riis mer.icana, MtJLLEK (Briss., v, 380). 



Gilts pratenms, Bartr., Trav. in Florida, 1791, p. — . 



Grus fiisca, Viehx., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vii, .548. 



Grus poUophcea, Wagleu, Syst. Av. 1827, Grus No. 7. 



Grus americana, Add., Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 441 (in part), pi. 261 ; Syn. 1839, 219 (in 

 part); B. Am. v, 1842, 188 (in part); pi. 314 (supposed young). 



Grus fraterculus, Cass., Baird's B. N. A. 1858, 656 (New Mexico). 



Conipiirc Grus longirostris, Bp., C. A. ii, 1854, 98 (Fu. Japon. pi. 72.) 



i?a&.— United States, from Florida and the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific, and in- 

 terior of the Fur Countries. X'orth to the Yukou (Dall) and west coast of Baffin's Bay 

 (latitude 72^ ; Ibis, ii, 167). Breeds apparently nearly throughout its range. Cuba. 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. — 8914, Sand Hills, Xobraska (erroneously given as G. 

 americana in Dr. Hayden's earlier report). 



Later Expeditions. — 62369, X'orth Fork, Idaho. 



Not obtained by Captain Eaynolds' Expedition, nor by the later ones. 



I find no indication of the occurrence of this species anjwhere in the 

 Eastern or Middle States, nor indeed east of the Mississippi and its 



