CRANE. 
177 
to view against the hills. Some days afterwards, a large bird, 
said to be one of the four, was shot at Haroldswick, in a meadow 
near the sea, and brought to lUiness, where it was identified as 
a specimen of the Crane, and soon afterwards the skin was 
sent to Edinburgli to be stuffed. No red colour was observed 
upon the top of the head, but as that fades soon after death, 
it might easily have been overlooked. On my return to Shet- 
land early in July, I was informed that one of these birds was 
supposed to be still remaining in the island ; but nothing further 
was ascertained until the 12th, when it was observed near the 
Loch of Cliff, sometimes upon the wing, but more frequently 
walking about in the corn-fields. The last time it was seen 
that day, it was standing in the little holm, far out of shot from 
the shore. Next day diligent search for it was made, without 
the smallest success ; but a man who lives near the deserted 
village of Cliff assured us that the bird had of late been almost 
constantly seeii in that neighbourhood, and his description con- 
vinced me that it was not a Heron, — a bird which here, as else- 
where, is often called the Crane. He said that it was at least 
as high as a pony, and that it never went very near the water, 
but preferred the meadows and fields of young corn, in which it 
walked about with slow steps, now and then “ picking at the 
ground, for all the world like a hen.’' On the 17th, as T was 
crossing the hills above Cliff, the man ran to me in great haste, 
with the news that the Crane had just gone down near the 
loch, upon the steep slope which faces the north. To make 
quite sure as to the species, I crept among the long grass to 
the top of the hill, and peeped over ; but, as the sun dazzled 
me, the bird rose before I was aware of its presence. It got 
up with a low guttural cry, sailed off with outstretched neck 
towards the loch, then turned, facing the wind, and soon after- 
wards ahghted upon the same slope, some three hundred yards 
distant from where it had just risen. As it flew, the ends of 
the quills could be seen widely separated, giving the wings a 
peculiar fringed-like appearance. Very carefully withdrawing 
from sight, I hastened to Balta Sound, about a couple of miles 
M 
