iea 
THE COMMON CRANE. 
Gms cinerea , Bechstein. 
PLATE IX. 
Ardea grus, Ray, Linn., §c . — Gras cinerea, Bechstein , Selby, 
and modem ornithologists Gruo cendrde, Temm. — Com- 
mon Crane of British authors. 
The Common Crane would seem formerly to have 
been muck more frequent, tkan it now is, in our 
islands, appearing in tke old bills for many of the 
feasts. Crane, however, we do not think can always, 
in these records, be translated as the Grus cinorea of 
the ornithologists of the present day. In later days 
the bird appears only as an occasional visitant ; and 
not more than seven or eight instances of its occur- 
rence are mentioned between 1820, and the present 
year, 1841; some of these have been in Devon- 
shire, others in Orkney and Shetland. In Ireland 
it has not been seen for a hundred years. In the 
north of Europe it is seen, at similar interrupted 
intervals ; and, in Central Europe, they are observed 
during their migrations. “ Egypt, and various parts 
of Africa, are said to be their winter quarters;”* 
but of their stronghold, or of their breeding stations, 
little, indeed, seems yet known to ornithologists. 
* Yarrell. 
