ARDEA. 
ferthest from the body to black ; the greater 
quills and tail are black, and the secondaries 
chesnut ; the legs and the bare part above 
the knee are dusky. The female is black 
where the male is blue-ash ; and the wattles 
on the throat are wanting ; the long feathers 
on the breast are also less Conspicuous. 
This beautiful species is an inhabitant of 
Africa, particularly the coast of Guinea, as 
far as Cape Yerd ; at this last place they are 
said to be wonderfully tame, and will often 
come into the court-yards to feed with the 
poultry. Why the name of Balearic crane 
has been given to this bird is not well as- 
certained, as it is certainly not met with in 
the Balearic Islands at this day. These 
birds are often kept in our menageries, and 
with shelter at night often live a good 
while. Their chief food is supposed to be 
worms, and such other things as the heron 
tribe usually feed on ; also vegetables of all 
kinds. It often sleeps on one leg, runs very 
fast, and is said not only to fly well, but to 
sustain it for a long time together. The 
flesh of tliis bird is said to be very tough. 
Ardea virgo, or the Ntimidian crane. Size 
of the crane: length three feet three 
inches ; the bill straight, two inches and a 
half long, greenish at the base, then yel- 
lowish, with the tip red; hides crimson. 
The crown of the head is ash-colour ; the 
rest of the head, the upper part of the neck 
behind, and all the under parts to the breast, 
black ; on the last the feathers are long and 
hang downwards ; the back, rump, and tail, 
and all the under part from the breast, are 
of a bluish ash-colour; behind each eye 
springs a tuft of long white feathers which 
decline downwards, and hang in an elegant 
manner ; the quills and tail are black at the 
ends ; the legs are black. This species is 
found in many parts of Africa and Asia. In 
the first it has been met with on the coast of 
Guinea ; but is most plentiful about Bildul- 
gerid (the ancient Numidia), and Tripoli; 
from thence along the coasts of the Mediter- 
ranean Sea, and pretty common in Egypt. 
They are also at Aleppo, and in the southern 
plain about the Black and Caspian Seas; 
and are seen frequently beyond Lake Baikal, 
about the rivers Selenga and Argun, but 
never venture to the northward. In all 
places they prefer marshes and the neigh- 
bourhood of rivers, as their food is fish, like 
most of the heron genus. It is frequently 
kept in menageries, being endowed with 
great gentleness of manners, added to 
its being an elegant bird. At various times 
it puts itself into strange and uncouth atti- 
VOL. I. 
tudes, and especially those' which imitate 
dancing : and Keysler mentions one in the 
Great Duke’s Gallery at Florence, which 
had been taught to dance to a certain tund 
when played or sung to it. The name this 
bird is known by in the east is Kurki, or 
Querky. See Plate II. Aves, fig. 7. 
Ardea grus. This is a large bird, notunfre- 
quently weighing ten pounds, and measures 
more than five feet in length. This species 
seems far spread, being met with in great 
flocks throughout northern Europe and 
Asia, in Sweden, Russia throughout, and 
Siberia as far as the river Anadyr, migrating 
even to the Arctic Circle. In Kamtschatka 
only seen on the southern promontory ; are 
migratory, returning northward to breed in 
the spring, and generally choosing the same 
places which had been occupied by them 
the season before. In the winter they inhabit 
the warmer regions, such as Egypt, Aleppo, 
India, &c. they are also met with at the Cape 
of Good Hope, changing place with the sea- 
son. In their, migrations frequently fly so high 
as not to be visible ; their passing only being 
known by the noise they make, being louder 
than that of any other bird. In France they 
are seen spring and autumn ; but for the most 
part are mere passengers. We are told that 
they frequented the marshes of Lincolnshire 
and Cambridgeshire, in vast flocks, for- 
merly ; but the case is altered, as of late 
none have been met with, except, a few 
ears since, a single bird shot near Cam- 
ridge. We are told that they make the 
nest in the marshes, and lay two bluish 
eggs. The young birds are thought very 
good food. They feed on reptiles of alt 
kinds, and in turn on green corn ; of which 
last they are said to make so great havock 
as to ruin the farmers wherever the flocks of 
these depredators alight. 
Ardea ciconia, or white stork, is the size 
of a turkey, inhabits in turns the various 
parts of the old continent, avoiding alike 
the extremes of heat and cold, being never 
met with between the tropics, nor scarcely 
ever seen more north than Sweden, or in 
Russia beyond 50°. It never frequents 
Siberia, though it is sometimes found in 
Bucbaria where it makes its nest, tending 
towards the south in autumn to winter in 
Egypt. It is rarely met with in England, 
though well known in France and Holland. 
They every where build on the tops of 
houses, and the good natured inhabitants 
provide boxes for them to make their nests 
in; they not only do this, but are particu- 
larly careful that the birds suffer no- injury, 
7, 
