96 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



wings and screaming birds being so loud that it may be heard a 

 couple of miles away ! In some parts of Southern India this 

 Crane is held sacred by the Brahmins, and small patches of grain 

 are left in the fields for it to feed on after its arrival in autumn. 

 This bird is said by Loche to occur near Biskra in the Northern 

 Sahara, but I failed to find it there. 



Nidiiication, — Athough so gregarious during the cold season, 

 at the approach of spring the large flocks begin to disperse at 

 the breeding grounds into pairs. The gregarious instincts, how- 

 ever, do not appear to be entirely suspended, for all the 

 summer through it shows social tendencies, and small parties 

 often feed in company. During the pairing season this species 

 indulges in various grotesque antics, which have been described 

 by some observers as " dancing." These dances take place just 

 before nest-building commences, and are thus aptly described 

 by Nordmann. The Demoiselle Cranes " dance and jump 

 towards each other, bowing themselves in a most burlesque 

 manner, bending their necks forward, extending the plumes on 

 the neck, and depressing their wings ; others, again, in the 

 meanwhile, run races, and on arrival at the goal, return striding 

 along gravely and quietly, whilst the rest of the assembly greet 

 them with reiterated cries, inclinations of the head, and other 

 demonstrations.'' Curious as these antics undoubtedly are, 

 however, we may fairly presume that the worthy Professor has 

 allowed his imagination to assist him not a little in penning the above 

 notes. The nest of this Crane is always made on the ground, 

 either amongst grain or grass, or, according to Dybowski, on the 

 rocky banks of a river. It is only a slight affair, a mere hollow 

 trodden in the ground, and lined with a few bits of herbage. The 

 latter naturalist states that the nest is made of small stones fitting 

 close to each other, the surface of the nest being flat, and 

 deepening towards the centre. The two eggs are laid about the 

 end of April or the first half of May, although Dybowski states 

 that he has seen them in June and until the middle of July. 

 They are pale buff or olive-brown in ground colour, spotted and 

 blotched with umber-brown and gray. The shell is rather coarse, 

 and full of small pores. They measure on an average 3-5 inches in 

 length by 2 'o inches in breadth. Both male and female are said 



