TRE CRANE. 211

Grus crverga.—The Crane. (Plate XIV.)

The crane is a very noble bird, frequently measuring five
feet in height; its form is slender, and its carriage erect ;
the bill is about four inches long, straight, compressed, and
pointed; the forehead is covered with down, through which
the skin appears red; the plumage is dark grey, variegated
with black and light ash-colour; from the pinion of each
wing arises a beautiful tuft of loose curling feathers, which
hang gracefully over the tail, somewhat resembling, in their
flexibility and texture, the plumes of an ostrich. The female
lays two greyish-green eggs, spotted with brown; construct-
ing its nest among the reeds and flags growing on the banks.
of streams and rivers.

The chief haunt of these birds is marshy places, and they
formerly visited such localities in England, but have been
driven away by the advance of civilization. In summer they
spread themselves over the north of Europe and Asia, even
to the Arctic circle, and in winter are found in Syria, Egypt,
and India. During their migratory journeys, cranes soar
very high in the air, taking bold and distant flights, during
which their peculiar cry may frequently be heard, when the
bird itself is beyond the gazer’s ken. The unerring instinct
shown by the crane in its migration, is celebrated in Jere-