30 
In Zoological Gardens and in the dealers’ shops this bird is generally overlooked (besides that it is less often 
imported) and is considered to be a badly feathered or immature stage of G. collaris. But if birds of both species in good 
condition and in adult dress are compared, the differences are obvious at all seasons. The Burmese birds never acquire 
at any age or in any season the white inner secondaries and the white neck-ring of G. collaris. 
This Crane is distributed as a breeding bird over the greater part of the Burmese peninsula in suitable places. 
Blyth records it from Arrakan and Anderson from Upper Burmah generally. Oates found it common in the vast plains 
of Lower Pegu ^ Wardlaw Ramsay and Hume and Davison record it as common in the country between the Sittang and 
the Salween, and Ramsay mentions it as breeding near Tonghoo. Cantor procured it as far south as the province of 
Wellesley both in the adult and young dress, and also found it common in Siam. 
In the Paris Museum are two specimens (one a male) from Lower Cochin China sent by M. Germain in 1882, 
and a third specimen from Siam transmitted in 1861 by the Siamese Embassy. 
The Eastern Sarus Crane has been found breeding in the months of August and September, and it probably also nests 
later in the year, as Davison found young birds in Burmah, still unable to fly as late as December. Wardlaw Ramsay, 
who records its breeding near Tonghoo, tells us that, although he did not find the nest himself, eggs were brought to 
him by the Burmese. They described the nest as a pile of weeds and mud, situated generally in the midst of a swamp. 
On the 29th September a Burmese brought him an egg and a newly hatched chick. The man had taken the eggs and 
placed them in a nest of a species of weaver-bird for safety, but one of the eggs had hatched in transit. The little bird 
was given into the charge of a common hen with doubts as to the result. She, however, took the greatest care of it, 
and showed great wrath if anybody attempted to touch it. On the morning of the eleventh day, however, the little 
creature died. When just out of the shell it devoured worms greedily. Davison found that if the young birds were pur¬ 
sued before they were able to fly they were very cunning in hiding themselves, taking advantage of the slightest shelter. 
When fairly run down in the open, they lay down, trying to bury their heads in the grass, and make no further attempt 
to escape. They remain perfectly still even when lifted up in the hand. The female is said to utter loud calls at daylight 
during the time of incubation standing on the top of her nest, and the best way of finding the nest is to go to a likely 
place in a canoe before daylight and survey the surrounding ground from a high ‘tai’ or paddy-grower’s hut with a pair 
of binoculars. 
The Burmese object to these birds being shot and have many legends to illustrate the strong conjugal affection 
of the sexes. 
In Burmah these Cranes feed, according to Davison, a great deal on the young paddy plant, and sometimes do 
considerable damage to the nurseries. He himself never saw them feeding on anything else, although they probably eat 
other green crops as well, and also frogs and other small animals. 
In reverse of the habits of the Collared Crane of India, the Antigone Crane seems to be a migratory bird in 
some parts of its range. They collect in large flocks and fly at a great height during this season. Dr. John Anderson 
tells us that in March 1868 and 1875 he saw from his camp, at Ponser in Upper Burmah at an elevation of 3300 feet, 
large V-shaped flocks of Cranes passing overhead in the direction of the Burmese valley. His attention was first attracted 
to them by their loud calls overhead, for the birds were so distant as to appear but mere specks. When the flock in 
advance was right over the summit of the high mountain on the slope of which the camp was pitched, the birds flew 
round in a great circle and continued doing so, until nine other flocks had come up, when, each flock circling round, 
commingled with the others. They then marshalled off into two great bands, which again broke up into V-shaped flocks. 
As they continued their flight about sixty were counted in each flock and as the flocks were nearly of uniform strength 
there could have been not less than 600 birds. 
Davison saw large flocks of these birds of from 8 to 60 in number make their appearance in the neighbourhood 
of Thatone in Lower Burmah in the beginning of August. 
I can find no information about what takes place in Siam and Cochin China, but the above-quoted observations 
make it probable that, as suggested by Hume, in Burmah this species is to a certain extent migratory and that a number 
of the Upper Burmah birds go south to near the Gulf of Martaban to breed. 
A living bird of this species was probably living in Holland in the 17th century, as we find it represented in one 
of de Hondecoeters paintings (1636—95) called “het drijvend veertje”, along with several other exotic and Dutch birds, 
including a beautiful Bernicla ruficollis. The painting is in the National Museum at Amsterdam. 
The Zoological Gardens of Amsterdam received their first bird of this species in 1850, whilst the London Gardens 
obtained it some 15 years later. Edwards, in 1743, wrote that a Crane of this species was kept alive by Sir Charles 
Wagers, and gave us a picture taken from it. (This plate agrees with this species but in the text the neck-collar is des- 
scribed as white). 
