286 GRUID« BALBAEICA 



half of Cape Colony, in Natal, where it appears to be the most 

 common of all the Cranes, and northwards throiighout the Trans- 

 vaal and Ehodesia to the northern part of German South-west 

 Africa. It does not seem to be found in Great Namaqualand or 

 Damaraland proper. Beyond our limits it reaches South Angola 

 and Nyasaland and German East Africa as far as the Pangani Eiver. 



The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — East 

 London (Eickard), King "William's Town (Trevelyan); Natal— Upper 

 Umzimkulu Valley (Woodward), Newcastle (Eeid) ; Orange Eiver 

 Colony— near Kroonstad (Barratt) ; Transvaal — Bloemhof district 

 (Ayres), Potchefstroom (Barratt and Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — 

 Botletli Eiver (Audersson), Ngami country (Chapman); Mashona- 

 land (Ayres and Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — Ondonga 

 and Okavango Eiver (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Zumbo 

 on the Zambesi (Alexander). 



Habits. — This bird, though known even in the middle of the 

 eighteenth century, does not appear to have been properly described 

 till 1833, when an example was brought home alive to the Zoological 

 Gardens by Sir Lowry Cole, who had been Governor of the Cape. 

 Previously our present bird had been confused with the West 

 African species {B. pavonina). The bird described by Lichtenstein 

 as Ardea chrysopelagus, which name has been applied to the 

 Southern Crowned Crane, is without doubt the Black Stork. 



The " Mahem," as it is called by the Dutch from its note, which 

 is thus syllabled, is found in small troops of from twenty to thirty 

 birds in the winter, but in pairs in the breeding season in summer. It 

 inhabits open country and is seldom seen far from marshy ground or 

 lakes. Here it marches about with stately gait in search of its food, 

 which consists of large insects, small reptiles and frogs, and also of 

 grain when procurable. The voice of the Crowned Crane is a 

 melodious sound of two tones, the second half of which is some- 

 what prolonged and resembles the Dutch name " Mahem." Like 

 the Blue Crane it often dances and plays all sorts of antics with 

 bowing head and outstretched wings. A correspondent of Mr. 

 Ayres found a nest on December 22nd in a swamp on the Mooi 

 Eiver not far from Potchefstroom ; it was composed of rushes and 

 reeds pulled and worked into a conical structure among long, rank 

 grass in a swamp. The water was about ankle deep. Two eggs 

 were found of a whitish colour, with a tinge of green showing 

 through in consequence of the egg membrane being of that colour. 

 They measured 3-44 x 2-3. Buckley, Barratt, Holub and Eeid 



