CRANES AND STORKS 
rare occurrence among animal pigments, by having a 
spectrum with absorption bands. It furthermore con- 
tains copper. It is a highly interesting fact in view of 
the supposed relationships of the Musophagida, as the 
family is termed, to the cuckoos, that the same pigment 
has been found in a cuckoo. 
THE GOLDEN CROWNED CRANE 
This bird, the handsomest though not the largest of 
the cranes, sensu stricto, is one of those birds which may 
certainly be found in one of the outside paddocks of 
the Zoo. In fact, cranes generally are a strong feature 
in the Gardens, and nearly all the known species have 
been exhibited. A great many may usually be seen 
at any given time, and thus the visitor can note the 
points in which this crane differs from its allies. It has, 
as in cranes generally, a sharp and longish beak, though 
not so long as in the typical cranes of the genus Grus ; 
its legs again are long, but not so long as in the typical 
cranes. It has, however, what no other crane has, a 
tuft of golden coloured feathers, consisting merely of 
the stems of the feathers without their lateral branches, 
the barbs, upon the crown of the head, whence of course 
its popular name. The cranes, as a race, could only be 
confounded with the storks, to which their long and 
pointed bills ally them. But this apparent likeness, 
as well as the fact that both groups of birds have long 
legs, is not a sufficient reason for placing them near 
together in the face of certain profound differences. 
Even by external characters it is easy to draw a line 
between the storks and cranes. The latter have a 
small hind toe, and the nostrils are far forward on the 
beak ; in storks the hind toe is large and the nostril 
is at the base of the beak. Internally there are im- 
portant differences, especially in the skull. In the 
stork tribe the bony palate is continuous across the 
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