106 



CRANE. 



in general cream-colour, or buff, paler beneath ; behind the eyes a patch 

 of black ; through them a pale streak, passing to the hind-head, and 

 dividing the black : the first nine quills black ; the rest of the wing 

 in general, and coverts, as the black ; tail cream-colour, the two middle 

 feathers plain, the others marked with a large black spot near the ends, 

 but occupying the inner web only on the outer feather ; the ends of all 

 nearly white ; legs yellowish white ; segments of the shins very dis- 

 tinct ; claws black. This bird was killed in France, and was at that 

 time considered singular, as it had never been met with before ; it was 

 observed to run with great swiftness. One of this curious and rare 

 species was shot near St. Albans, in East Kent, the seat of William 

 Hammond, Esq. on the 10th of November, 1785, who presented it to 

 Dr. Latham. Mr. Hammond first met with it on some light land; 

 and so little fearful was it, that having no gun with him at that time, 

 he sent for one, which did not readily go off, having been charged for 

 some time, and in consequence he missed his aim : the report frightened 

 the bird away, but after making a turn or two, it again settled within 

 one hundred yards of him, when he was prepared with a second shot, 

 which killed it. He observed it to run with incredible swiftness, con- 

 sidering its size ; and at intervals to pick something from the ground, 

 and was so bold as to render it difficult to make it rise in order to take 

 a more secure aim on the wing. The note was unlike that of any known 

 bird. Colonel Montagu says that one of these was shot in North Wales 

 in the year 1793, and preserved in the collection of the late Professor 

 Sibthorp, at Oxford. Mr. Atkinson, author of the " Compendium of 

 Ornithology," was also in possession of a specimen, shot at Netherby, 

 in April, 1816.* 



CRACKER.— A name for the Pintail Duck. 



CRANE (Grus cinerea, Bechstein.) 



Ardea grus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 234. 4 jGmel. Syst. 2. p. 620,—Briss. 5. p. 374. 6. 



t. 33.—I6. 8vo. 2. p. 307 Raii, Syn. p. 95. A. 1 Will. p. 200. t. 48 Ind. 



Orn. 2. p. 674. 5 La grue, Buff. 7. p. 287. t. 14 Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 



557.— Common Crane, Br. Zool. 2. A pp. p. 534. t. 6 Arct. Zool. 2. p. 453.— 



Will. (Angl.) p. 274. t. 48 — Albin, 2. t. 65 Lath. Syn. 5. p. 40. 5 — Lewins 



Br. Birds, 4. t. U3.-Walc. Syn. 2. t. 124. 



This species weighs near ten pounds ; length five feet. The bill is 



above four inches long, of a greenish black ; the forehead is covered 



with black down, or hairs ; the hind part of the head bare and red, with 



a few scattered hairs ; on the nape is a bare place ash-coloured ; the 



sides of the head and hind part of the neck white ; between the bill and 



eyes, beneath them, and the fore part of the neck, blackish ash-colour ; 



the lower part of the neck, and the rest of the body, fine ash-colour, 



darkest on the tail coverts ; the quill-feathers and greater coverts black ; 



