SANDHILL CRANE 279 



eieney of firearms and the increasing number of hunters. The Little 

 Brown and Sandhill cranes are to be included in this category. It is 

 nowadays only by mere chance that the shotgun can bring one of 

 these birds to bag. To get within range with a rifle, even, takes con- 

 siderable ingenuity. This, with the protection afforded them by our 

 closed seasons, should suffice to maintain the cranes indefinitely, as far 

 as California is concerned. 



Sandhill Crane 



Grus mexicana (Miiller) 



Other xames — Grus canadensis, part; Grus canadensis mexicana. 



Description — Identical in coloration, as far as known, with the Little 

 Brown Crane (which see). Size larger; bulk probably close to twice that of 

 Little Brown Crane. Adults (both sexes): Total length "40.00-48.00" inches 

 (1,015-1,220 mm.) (Eidgway, 1900, p. 135); folded wing 21.30-22.00 (540-558); 

 bill along culmen 5.33-6.46 (135.4^164); tarsus 9.14^9.58 (232-243) (four 

 specimens from California in Mailliard coll.). 



Marks foe field identification — See Little Brown Crane. 



Voice — Probably not much different from Little Brown Crane; a raucous, 

 resounding note (Forbush, 1912, p. 485) ; a prolonged bugle-like cry (Bailey, 

 1902, p. 79). 



Nest — On ground in marshy places, usually surrounded by open water; 

 made of grasses, weeds, moss or rushes (authors). 



Eggs — 2, elongate ovate in shape, measuring in inches, 3.56 to 3.70 by 2.35 

 to 2.41 (in millimeters, 90.3 to 93.8 by 59.7 to 61.2); ground color pale buff, 

 spotted irregularly with light brown, most numerously about the larger end; 

 deeper markings of pale lavender (two eggs from Iowa in Mailliard coll.). 



General distribution — Middle latitudes in North America, ranging from 

 southern Canada south to Florida, Cuba and Mexico. Breeds from southern 

 British Columbia, southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta, south to Cali- 

 fornia, northern Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and northern Indiana; also in a 

 detached area including Cuba, Florida, and the Gulf coast of Louisiana. 

 Winters in California, the Gulf states, Cuba, and Mexico to the latitude of 

 Yucatan. Most of intervening area covered during migration (modified from 

 Cooke, 1914, pp. 10-13). 



Distribution in California — At one time doubtless common in summer in 

 northern and interior parts of the state, more particularly about elevated 

 meadows east of the Sierran crest; now rare. A few are thought to winter 

 in the San Joaquin Valley and southern California coastal district. Definite 

 knowledge is wanting, because of confusion of this species with Little Brown 

 Crane. 



The Sandhill Crane is the southern representative of the Little 

 Brown Crane, supplanting the latter as a breeding bird in the United 

 States and extreme southern Canada. For a long time the Little 

 Brown and Sandhill cranes have been confused in western literature ; 

 much of the published information attributed to the Sandhill Crane, 

 we now believe refers to the Little Brown Crane. In coloration the 



