














20 THE NATURAL BEOTORY 4 
Formerly it was thought, that a race of litt 
men, who were called Pygmies, were at conftant 
war with the Cranes, that they attempted to: ta 
their eggs, and fteal their young; and itis not} ~ 
improbable, that thefe attempts are frequentl|” 
made by apes and monkies, for they are very fon 
of birds and eggs; and apes and monkies are fo 
much like little men, that the miftake is not much 
to be wondered at. 
Cranes fly very high, ‘and in order. Th 
form a triangle. When the wind is ftrong 
__ gainft them, or an Eagle is about to attack th 
Be make a kind of circle, They fly moftlyi 
the night; the leader frequently calls out. 
them, and all the others anfwer, fo that they a 
in no danger of feparating. 
Cranes, like all large birds, cannot eafily bes 
gin to fly: they firft run, then flap their wings, 
then juft rife, afterwards they fpread their wing 
and fupport a long and fteady flight. They often 
rife fo high among the clouds that they cann 
be feen, yet they make fo loud a noife, that they 
can be heard though out of fight; and their ey 
are fo good, that they can fee every object below, 
When Cranes are in numbers upon the 
ground, they fleep with their heads under their 
wifigs, except their chief, and he watches wi 
his 
