The Crane. 
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THE CRANE. (Grus cinerea.) 
Cranes frequent marshy places, and live upon small fish 
and water-insects. Their long beaks enable them to 
search the water and mud for their prey, and their long 
necks prevent the necessity of their stooping to pick up 
from between their feet the objects of their search. The 
top of the head, the throat, and sides of the neck are of a 
blackish hue ; the back, the wings, and the body are 
ash-coloured. The tertial feathers of the wings are very 
long, with loose webs, forming elegant plumes, which 
fall over the sides of the tail. They used to be common 
in the fen countries, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, 
