238 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
the Mississippi, witnessed, as he describes it, one of the “vast migrations 
of the Whooping Cranes, assembled by many thousands from all the 
marshes and impassable swamps of the north and west. The whole 
continent seemed as if giving up its quota to swell the mighty host. The 
clangor of these numerous legions passing along high in the air seemed 
almost deafening . . . and as they continued nearly throughout the 
whole night without intermission, some idea may be formed of the 
numbers assembled on their annual journey to the regions of the south” 
(1905, pp. 73-76). 
In commenting upon this “passage of mighty armies,” which “fills 
the mind with wonder,” Mr. Henshaw exclaims—“To-day what a con¬ 
trast ! The clangor of passing multitudes no longer fills the air, for this 
noble bird, whose number was legion a century ago, is now practically 
extinct in the Atlantic States, while only a few pairs manage to main¬ 
tain themselves in far out-of-the-way places, and so delay for a few 
years the final extinction of the species” (1915, p. 122). 
Additional Literature.—Bent, A. C., U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 135, 219-231, 
1926.— Mershon, W. B., Auk, XLV, 202-203, 1928 (seen in Saskatchewan).— 
Taverner, P. A., Birds of Western Canada, 121-122,1926 (diagram of windpipe). 
LITTLE BROWN CRANE: Grus canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus) 
Description. — Length: About 35 inches, wing 17.5-20, bill 3-4.2, tarsus 6.7-S.4. 
Like the Sandhill Crane (p. 239), but smaller. 
Range. North America to central Mexico. Breeds from the coast of Siberia, 
northern Alaska, northern Mackenzie, and Arctic islands south to the Hudson Bay 
region, Mackenzie (Great Slave Lake region), and southern Alaska; migrates through 
interior of United States and along the Pacific coast, and winters from southern 
Texas south to Jalisco, Mexico. Accidental near San Francisco in winter. 
State Records. —The type of Grus frater cuius Cassin was taken by Moll- 
hausen in October, 1853, at Albuquerque. This is now known to be a svnonym of 
G. canadensis and is the only record of the species for New Mexico. It breeds in the 
Arctic and winters in California, Texas, and Mexico, so it is probable, in spite of the 
lack of records, that a few do still occasionally pass through New Mexico, where they 
are not noted on account of their close resemblance to the more common Sandhill 
Crane.—W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. A hollow on the top of a bog or niggerhead, scantily lined with grass, 
roots, and caribou moss (Conover). 
General Habits. —On their spring arrival in Alaska, Mr. Conover 
found, the Little Brown Cranes “stayed pretty well to the tops of the 
hills and knolls where the snow had already disappeared, but as soon as 
most of the tundra was bare . . . scattered out in pairs all over the 
country.” One nest was watched closely, and an amusing performance 
was witnessed, for when the nest was visited the old Cranes would fly 
off to a little side hill where a cock Ptarmigan was guarding his mate and 
her nest. As soon as the big birds alighted “the Grouse would ruffle up 
like a game cock and make a dash at the male Crane, who would jump 
