56 
“as in those of the present species. When shot, the White Cranes are worth nothing as food, which, considering their 
“diet here, is not surprising”. 
A third winter resort of the White Crane is the coasts of the Caspian Sea, where it has been recorded by Pallas 
and by Nordmann as found at this season, and Asia Minor where it was seen in a flock of a hundred in the fields 
bordering the Kisil Irmak River by Danford. 
In Japan Prof Ijima kindly informs me, this Crane has always been of extremely rare occurence, and must be 
regarded as a scarce straggler on migration. The only specimens from that country which I know of in Europe are the 
three in the Leiden Museum sent there by von Siebold and figured in the ‘Fauna Japonica’. 
In March the White Cranes leave their winter-quarters and travel northwards in flocks. Those from the shores of 
the Black Sea seem to pass regularly over the Ekaterinoslaw Government, where they were recorded by Nordmann. 
Seebohm saw “flocks of hundreds in the plains” near Asti-achan at the mouth of the Volga and it is probable that these 
were birds that had wintered round the Caspian. 
The Indian birds and those that winter in the Yangtse basin observe the same time for their travels to their 
breeding quarters. In Noi'th-eastern Asia in 1858 Radde found flocks of them north of the Bureja mountains in the 
month of April and in the plains even as early as the 24th March. 
The Zoological Society of Amsterdam received the first specimen of this Crane in 1871, whilst the Zoological 
Society of London had the first specimen presented to them in 1868 by the Babu Rajendra Mullick of Calcutta. Since 
that time both collections have rarely been without specimens of this beautiful species. In other continental Gardens these 
birds are also usually exhibited, being rather regularly imported by Mr. William Jamrach from Northern India. I have 
seen fine specimens of it in the Crane-collection of the late Capt. E. W. Marshall at Great Marlow, and one of his 
birds which flew away, and was after a while captured at Barra in the Outer Hebrides, at first gave rise to the suppo¬ 
sition of its having come there on its own account from Eastern Europe, whereas it had in reality travelled the greater 
part of the way in one of Mr. Jamrach’s boxes. 
This bird has a very peculiar and rather melodious cry, and a very original movement of its body whilst putting 
it forth. It moves its head and neck backwards and forwards and the wings up and down at the same time, and the more 
excited it gets, the quicker those curious movements become. Generally both sexes join in this exercise. Besides this peculiar 
and rather melodious cry they have the harsh trumpeting call usual with most Cranes, only the voice is not quite so strong. 
The flight of this bird, as observed In the case of Capt. Marshall’s fugitive when at Barra, is described by Dr. 
John MacRury as slow and steady like that of the common Heron, the bird uttering, now and then, a plaintive whir¬ 
ring note. 
The trachea of this species closely resembles that of the Wattled Crane. The specimen figured is preserved in 
the Zoological Museum of Berlin '). 
i) It lias been stated this species sometimes possesses a convoluted trachea^ but of the rather numerous specimens I have examined all were like the one figured so 
that I think it rather doubtful whether so called specimens with convolutions entering into the keel of the sternum really belonged to this species. 
Trachea of Anthropoides leucogeranus. 
