THE WHOOPING CRANE. 191 



of an old bird. The acuteness of their sight and hearing is quite wonderful. 

 If they perceive a man approaching, even at the distance of a quarter of a 

 mile, they are sure to take to wing. Should you accidentally tread on a 

 stick and break it, or suddenly cock your gun, all the birds in the flock raise 

 their heads and emit a cry. Shut the gate of a field after you, and from that 

 moment they all watch your motions. To attempt to crawl towards them, 

 even among long grass, after such an intimation, would be useless; and unless 

 you lie in wait for them, and be careful to maintain a perfect silence, or may 

 have the cover of some large trees, heaps of brushwood, or fallen logs, you 

 may as well stay at home. They generally see you long before you perceive 

 them, and so long as they are aware that you have not observed them, they 

 remain silent; but. the moment that, by some inadvertency, you disclose to 

 them your sense of their presence, some of them sound an alarm. For my 

 part, reader, I would as soon undertake to catch a deer by fair running, as to 

 shoot a Sand-hill Crane that had observed me. Sometimes, indeed, towards 

 the approach of spring, when they are ready to depart for their breeding 

 grounds, the voice of one will startle and urge to flight all within a mile of 

 the spot. When this happens, all the birds around join into a great flock, 

 gradually rise in a spiral manner, ascend to a vast height, and sail off in a 

 straight course. 



When wounded, these birds cannot be approached without caution, as 

 their powerful bill is capable of inflicting a severe wound. Knowing this as 

 I do, I would counsel any sportsman not to leave his gun behind, while pur- 

 suing a wounded Crane. 



While in the Floridas, I saw only a few of these birds alive, but many 

 which had been shot by the Spaniards and Indians, for the sake of their 

 flesh and beautiful feathers, of which latter they make fans and fly-brushes. 

 None of these birds remain there during summer; and William Bartram, 

 when speaking of this species, must have mistaken the Wood Ibis for it. 



The young are considerably more numerous than the old white birds; and 

 this circumstance has probably led to the belief among naturalists that the 

 former constitute a distinct species, to which the name of Canada Crane, 

 Gms canadensis, has been given. This, however, I hope, I shall be able to 

 clear up to your satisfaction. In the mean time, I shall continue my 

 remarks. 



According to circumstances, this species roosts either on the ground or on 

 high trees. In the latter case, they leave their feeding-ground about an hour 

 before sun-set, and going off in silence, proceed towards the interior of high 

 land forests, where they alight on the largest branches of lofty trees, six or 

 seven settling on the same branch. For half an hour or so, they usually 

 dress their plumage, standing erect: but afterwards they crouch in the man- 



