52S 



GRUS. CRANE. 



Generic Character, 



Rostrum capite fere duplo 

 longius, validum, rectum, 

 compressum, utrinque sul- 

 catum, integrum aut sub- 

 denticulatum. 



Nares in medio maxillae sitse, 

 postico membrana clausas. 



Caput aut nudum papillosum, 

 aut plumosum. 



Pedes tetradactjli, fissi, di- 

 giti exteriores basi mem- 

 brana connexi. 



Beak nearly twice as long as 

 the head, strong, straight, 

 compressed, sulcated on 

 each side, entire, or slight" 

 ly notched. 



Nostrils placed in the middle 

 of the maxilla, and closed 

 by a membrane behind. 



Head either naked and pa- 

 pillated, or feathered. 



Feet four-toed, cleft; the 

 outer toes connected at the 

 base by a membrane. 



Grus. Briss, Temm. Vieil, Cuv. 

 Ardea. Linn. Gmel. Lath, 



X HE Cranes subsist on herbs, seeds, worms, 

 frogs, and slugs : they reside in marshy places, 

 rarely visiting the sea shores, and are found in 

 various parts of the world, but only one is a native 

 of Europe : there are several sections of them, 

 differing in many respects, as hereafter noticed ; 

 and in most of the species the trachea of the male 

 is of a singular construction, having several con- 

 volutions : in the rest both sexes have the same 

 conformation. 



