THE DEMOISELLE, OR NUMIDIAN CRANE. 19 



THE DEMOISELLE, OR NUMIDIAN CRANE, 



IN THE COLLECTION OF EARL DARNLEY, COBHAM-HALL, KENT. 



The Demoiselle is one of the most beautiful species of the crane, or heron tribe, and is not often to be 

 seen in the collections of this country. It is the Ardea virgo of Gmelin, the Numidian crane of 

 Albinus, the Demoiselle of Numidia of Edwards, and the Demoiselle of Latham. It inhabits the 

 eastern and western shores of Africa, Egypt, Numidia, Tripoli, the vicinity of the Caspian and Black 

 Seas, and the Lake Baikal. Its length is about three feet, three inches ; the bill greenish at the base, 

 then yellowish, with the tip red. The irides are crimson ; it has a tuft of long white feathers behind 

 each eye, which hang downwards in a graceful manner. On the top of its head are long silky soft 

 feathers, of a beautiful black, but the crown of its head is of an ashen colour. The upper part of the 

 neck behind, and all the under part to the breast, are black ; on the latter the feathers are long, and 

 hang downwards to a considerable depth. The back, rump, and tail, and all the under part of the 

 breast, are of a blueish-ash colour. The quills and tail are black at the ends, and the feathers of the 

 latter fall in a drooping posture, which imparts to the motions of the bird an unusual degree of 

 grace ; indeed, from the elegance of its appearance, and its singular carriage, it has been called the 

 Demoiselle, or the Young Lady, by the French, although we freely confess that, from the well-known 

 gallantry of that people, we should not have expected them to have promulgated so severe a satire on 

 the fair sex, which must be at once apparent when we compare the different characters which both 

 ancients and moderns have bestowed upon this bird. 



In the first place, can the following trait in the character of the demoiselle, as transmitted to us by 

 Aristotle, bear any affinity with the character of a fair demoiselle of the present day ? We are informed 

 by that very acute naturalist, that the demoiselles are very fond of shewing themselves, and that when 

 they observe that they are looked at, they make the most uncommon gestures, as if to excite a greater 

 degree of attention. They are also frequently observed to dance opposite to one another, in which 

 amusement they exert all their art to shew themselves off to the best advantage, and are frequently 

 so lost in the enjoyment of this waltzing propensity as to be very easily taken. Aristotle further 

 says, that the demoiselle is an excellent comedian, skilled in all sorts of grimaces and gesticulations, 

 and certainly it must be allowed that, in those two properties of the comedian, the French are most 

 decided proficients ; but surely the French naturalists must never have read Aristotle, or they would 

 have paused before they had given the name of demoiselle, or young lady, to a Numidian crane, unless 

 fully convinced that a strong analogy did actually exist between the two beings. 



If we turn to Xenophon we find the exact manner described in which the demoiselles, in his days, 

 were caught, and we strongly opine that the French, in the christening of the bird, must have 

 had a direct eye to the manner in which other demoiselles are caught, by a sort of perversion of 

 vision, whereby they fancy they discern in particular objects certain charms and properties, that 

 very often vanish altogether as soon as the bandage is removed by which the temporary blindness 

 was occasioned. Xenophon thus describes the mode of catching these singular birds. Several 

 persons repair to the haunts of the demoiselles, who, on their approach, appear at first very shy and 

 timid, although it be evident by their gestures that they are all the while courting the admiration of 

 their observers, who, having brought with them some vessels filled with water, proceed, without any 

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