r 192 ) 
The crowned African Crane. 
I T is a tall and {lately Bird ; when it walks with the Head railed, it Teems to be 
more than a Yard in Height. The Leg, from the Knee to the Bottom of the 
Heel, is nine Inches long; from the Point of the Bill to the Feathers on the Fore¬ 
head, is two Inches and three Quarters; from its Point to the Corner of the Mouth, 
three Inches and three Quarters. 
The firfl Bird, which hands forwards on the Plate, hath its Bill fhort for a Crane; 
The Bill is flraight and Tharp-pointed, of a duiky or dark-afh-Colour; the Noflrils 
are placed difta-nt from the Head ; the Eyes are placed over the" Angles of the Mouth, 
and have their Irides of a Pearl-Colour ; the Forehead is very round and prominent, 
and cover’d with black Feathers like Velvet ; behind each Eye it hath a pearly-co- 
Iour’d, hard, bare Skin, in the-form of a Sheep’s Kidney, which rifes a little, and is 
tindlured on. its upper and lower Part with Red. The black Feathers on the Head 
pafs all round thefe Spots. From the Top of the Head there Thoots cut a Tuft of 
longifh Feathers, or rather fliff Brifides, of a fkttifh Make, wreathed or twilled, of 
a dirty Orange-Colour, each of them being thinly befet on its Sides with light-co- 
lour’d Hairs, and a fmall Tuft of blackifh Feathers at their Ends. Thefe Briflles 
fpread themfelves very gracefully, in form of a Globe, and Teem bigger than the 
Head itfelf. Under the Throat it hath a great red Skin, or Wattle, like the Domef- 
tick-Cock, but fingle; this is Sometimes fwelled out with Wind, by Means of a 
hoarfe, difagreeable Note or Sound, which the Bird utters. The Neck, and whole 
Body above and beneath, are of a pleafant, light-bluilh Alh-Colour; the Feathers are 
long, Toft and narrow on the Neckthey are broader on the Back, but long and 
pointed. The Tail is Black, and the Feathers are pretty equal in Length. The 
greater Quills of the Wings are Black ; the inner Quills are of a dirty Red, and fall 
over the Rump when the Wings are clofed ; all the Coverts of the Wings within and 
without are White, except thofe that fall over the black Quills, (and hide them) which 
are of a pale, dufky Yellow. The Legs are bare of Feathers pretty high above the 
Knees; the Legs, Feet and Claws, are of a dark-blackifh Afh-Colour. The hinder 
Bird (which I take to be the Hen) differs from the firfl, in having the Space on its 
Cheek Red for the lower half, and White above, and in having a very fmall, almofif 
imperceptible red Gill on its Throat, and in being Black on the Neck and Body, 
where the firfl is Afh-colour’d ; in other Refpedts they are alike. 
The firfl of thefe Birds I drew at Sir Hans Sloane's,, the other at Sir Charles Wager's. The' 
Academy of Paris have deferibed it Something different from the above ; they found two Sub- 
jedts, which they had in Hand, both Hens; they call it the Royal Bird, and think it is nor 
the Grits Balearic a, as has been fuppofed. See Memoir es de l'. Academie Roy ale, Depuis 1666 r 
Jufqu'd 1699. Lome HI- troifume Par tie, P. 199. See alfo Willughby'% Ornithology, P. 2 75. 
Petiver calls it Grus Capenfis fufea, Capite anreogaleato. Tab. 76. N. 9. Barlow calls it the 
J'apan Peacock. Vijfcher- calls it Siruthio ex China. In Aft ley's Co 11 edition of Voyages, I find this- 
Bird mentioned by Several Authors there colledled, which proves it to be a Crane of the Rivers 
Gambia and Senega. See Ajlley’s Voyages, Vol. II. P. 723. He cal's the Figure of it, in the 
Plate facing P. 721, the W-bidah Crown Bird. This Bird hath efcaped Mr. Albind s Notice; 
It is the Pave Marinas of Clujius. See his Exot. Lib. V. Cap. n. N. RU’crl has figur’d it,, 
and calls it Pavo, five Cauda Chinenfs . 
%hff 
