34 
GRUINiE. 
and slender ; tibia bare to a great extent ; tarsus long, 
reticulated all round, but in some instances scutellate an- 
teriorly ; toes short or moderate, thickish, flattened be- 
neath, the anterior spreading and webbed at the base ; 
the hind toe wanting or small, and more or less elevated ; 
claws short and obtuse. Plumage moderate, the feathers 
with a large plumule. Wings large, generally pointed, 
but varying in form ; tail short. 
All the species feed on insects and worms, and occa- 
sionally on vegetable substances, their digestive organs 
being adapted for both sorts of food. They nestle on the 
ground, laying from three to five eggs. The young, at 
first densely covered with down, run about presently after 
birth, and conceal themselves by crouching. The males 
are larger than the females, and sometimes differently 
coloured, at least in part. Most of the species are in 
some degree migratory. 
FAMILY XXXII. GRUINiE. GRUINE BIRDS, 
OR CRANES. 
Birds of large size, having the body ovate and com- 
pressed ; the neck elongated ; the head rather small, ob- j 
long, and somewhat rounded above. Bill about the length 
of the head, straight, depressed at the base, compressed 
toward the end, the tip rather blunt ; upper mandible 
with the dorsal line nearly straight, a little declinate at 
the end, the ridge flattened at the base, rounded toward 
the end, the nasal groove large ; lower mandible with the 
angle long and very narrow, the tip slender ; gape-line 
commencing much anterior to the eyes. Nostrils linear, 
direct, in the fore part of the nasal groove. Eyes of mo- 
derate size, eyelids bare. Aperture of ear rather small, 
roundish. Legs very long and slender ; tibia bare to a great 
