240 AVES : PALUDICOLA. — XXXVII. 
Famity CXLI. GRUIDAG. (THE Cranes.) 
Very large birds, with the legs and neck extremely long, the 
latter of 17 vertebrae. Wings large, rather short. ‘ail short, of 
12 broad feathers. Head more or less naked, with scattered hair- 
like feathers. Plumage compact, without downy tracts. Bill as 
long or longer than head, straight and slender; tibia extensively 
naked; tarsus scutellate; toes rather short; hind toe highly ele- 
vated ; nasal bones schizorhinal. Genera 3; species 15 ; of various 
parts of the world, resembling herons in external form, but similar 
to the rails in general structure. 
376. GRUS Linneus. (Lat., crane.) 
739. G. americana (L.). WHoopinc Crane. Waite CRANE. 
Adult pure white with black on wings; bare part of head very 
hairy; young rusty, the head feathered. L.50. W.24. 1.9. 
Ts. 12. B.6. N. Am.; rare E., a wild bird, avoiding civiliza- 
tion. ‘“ The windpipe is quite as long as the bird itself, 50 inches 
or more, and over 2 feet of it coiled away in the keel of the breast- 
bone, which is entirely hollowed out to receive these extraordi- 
nary convolutions ; the voice is singularly raucous and resonant.” 
(Coues.) 
740. G. mexicana (Miiller). Sanp-nitt Crane. Brown 
Crane. Slaty gray or brownish, never white; head sparsely 
hairy. L.46. W. 22. B.5}. T.9. Ts.10. U.S, chiefly S. 
and W. 
Famiry CXLIL RALLIDA. (Tue Ratzs.) 
Birds of medium or small size, with compressed bodies and large 
muscular legs. Wings short, rounded, concave; tail very short, 
of 10 or 12 soft feathers. Hind toe rather short, a little elevated; 
front toes very long. Bill various, rather short, not sensitive at 
tip. Plumage blended, changing little with age, sex, or season. 
Species about 150, of most parts of the world, skulking in swamps 
and marshes, gathering their food chiefly from the surface. 
u. Forehead feathered; no frontal shield. (Ralline.) 
d, Bill slender, decurved, longer than head, with narrow nasal groove, and 
linear nostril... 6 2 6 6 + 6 «© «© « © » «+ « RALLUS, 377. 
bd. Bill stout, straight, not longer than head, with broad nasal groove and 
oblong nostril. a ee é + « ¢ « Porzana, 878. 
aa. Forehead covered with a broad, are oan shield. 
c. Toes scarcely or not lobate. (Gallinuline.) 
d. Nostrils small, oval... . . . « . + «© - « « Ionornis, 379. 
dd. Nostrils slitlike. se oe «+ « « GaALLinvuLA, 880. 
ce. Toes lobate, edged with broad taps " (Pulleins;) . . Furica, 381. 
