466 
BUSTARDS ,, THICKNEES, AND CRANES. 
pair that on two occasions Mr, Hume has known the survivor pine away and die 
on the death of its mate; and he, therefore, recommends the sportsman, if he must 
kill one of these beautiful birds, always to shoot the pair. 
Far more beautiful than either of the foregoing; is the lovely 
Whit© Crane 0 0 v 
white crane ( G. leucogeranus), inhabiting a vast area in Central and 
Northern Asia, and migrating in winter to India, and probably other Oriental 
countries. It is characterised by having the head and neck only partially bare, 
and the whole plumage, with the exception of the black quills, white; the legs and 
naked skin of the face being red. North America also possesses a white repre¬ 
sentative of the genus in the whooping crane (G. americana). Mr. Hume observes 
that the Asiatic species “ is the lily of birds; and stand in what position it may, 
the entire outline of its form presents a series of the most graceful and harmonious 
curves.” This crane is found only where there are large sheets of shallow water, 
in which grow abundance of the rushes and other aquatic plants forming its chief 
nutriment. To show how deceptive is the appearance of cranes when seen from a 
distance, Dr. Coues relates that once, while prongbuck-shooting on the prairie, his 
companion and himself saw what they “ took to be an antelope standing quietly 
feeding, with his broad, white stern towards us, and only about five hundred yards 
off. We attempted for at least fifteen minutes to‘flag’ the creature up to us, 
waving a handkerchief on a ramrod in the most approved style. This proving 
unavailing, my friend proceeded to stalk the game, and crawled on his belly for 
about half the distance before the ‘ antelope 5 unfolded his broad, black-tipped 
wings and flapped off, revealed at length a whooping crane.” 
g Among the numerous other members of the genus, space admits 
of reference to a few only. Of these the great wattled crane 
( G. carunculata), of South Africa, takes its name from the presence of two feathered 
flaps of skin depending from the chin; the general colour of the upper plumage 
being slaty grey, with the neck white and the remainder black. This crane goes 
about in pairs, which haunt one locality for years. The pretty little demoiselle 
crane ( G. virgo), which breeds in North Africa, Spain, Southern Russia, and a large 
area of Central and Eastern Asia, while in winter it visits Central Africa and India, 
is distinguished from all the foregoing by its shorter beak, longer legs, and shorter 
neck, as well as by its inferior size, and the long lanceolate feathers of the neck 
and breast. In length this bird is only about 30 inches; and in colour the head, 
neck, and long breast-plumes are black; a tuft of loose white feathers extends 
outwards and backwards from the eye, while the general hue is purplish grey, with 
the quills black. In India, where it arrives late in October, this crane associates 
in flocks comprising from fifty to one hundred individuals, and frequents rivers 
rather than marshes. Being mainly a vegetable-feeder, it is very destructive to 
grain. The eggs are olive-green speckled with rufous; and, while the female is 
sitting, the male keeps constant guard. Although somewhat apt to wound its 
assailant with its sharp inner claw, this crane affords good sport with a falcon. 
Allied to this species is the much larger Stanley crane (G. paradisea) —often 
referred to the distinct genus Tetrapteryx —of South Africa; in which the whole 
plumage is leaden-blue, with the exception of the white crown of the head and the 
black extremities of the drooping secondaries. This species, although widely 
