rence of “ some few Cranes ” is. recorded by Smith in his
Histories of the Counties of Waterford and of Cork, during
the great frost of 1739, “ but not since or before in any
person’s memory ”; Thompson only mentions one shot in
the county of Galway, and another in Tralee Bay ; and two
have been obtained in Kerry.*
The Crane is an occasional straggler on migration to
the Eseroes and to the northern districts of Norway, and
breeds in the large morasses in the interior of the latter
country and of Sweden: in Lapland, Finland, and in suitable
localities throughout the greater part of Russia and
Poland. Owing to the drainage of- the marshes, it no
longer nests regularly in Denmark, but it still does sjNfet
many districts of Northern Germany;-and even [in those
parts of the Continent in which it does not take up its abode,
the loud. trumpet-like Ranging note,-often heard at night
when- the utterer is invisible, is a familiar announcement
of the spring passage. In Northern Europe this is:gehe-
rally- about the beginning of April, and thei return' takes
place in September; but in France,Where it is'not known
to breed, the spring migration in the south-western districts
commences,- according to the Editor’s observations, early in
March In some portions of the Spanish «Peninsula j^feis
abundant | | | 1 autumn and '’during. the r winter—a tolerable
number remaining to breed in soine:of the marshes5 cfAnda-
lucia.f irin- the- islands-, AanduJ om :,both the,;northern and
southern shores-of the-Mediterranean,■ ifflis.'principally a
migrant^r a ^ n te r're sid en t; but -although very, abundant
in -North Africa-, Palestine, and?^Persia during .-the latter
season;;it is- notyknown to nest-in.“those* countries.- East-
* The above remarks undoubtedly refer-to tbe bird nn<|er--conBideration, but
it should be remembered that at tbe preshntninie, in Ireland, Wales, on1 the
Scottish Border,- and in many parts of England,'the nafaedf 'CrcMe is .frequently
applied to the Heron, and sometimes to-the Cormorant and other long-necked
birds.
r T TKe 'Editor' f oun d it nesting there early "in May, lS jp fh u t owing'tp~ the
prevalent belief at that*time thaf 'ite breeding places were confined to the Noith.
his »statements were- received in some* quarter if with, 'an inp^e’d ulijy* which was
only dissipated by the exhibition of its unmistakable eggs.
wards, the Crane ranges across Siberia to Kamschatka, the
Amoor and Japan, breeding in tbe morasses to tbe north of
the principal watersheds, and wintering in China and in
India, where, especially in the Punjaub and North-West
Provinces, immense flocks are sometimes to-be seen in^the
grain "fields.* On its migrations it has been observed crossing
the lofty ranges of Central Asia, and'PrjevalSki, when at
tbe height of 10,600 -feet, observed flock following-'hock
during tbe w-hole day at such an enormous altitude that they
could hftrdly be Seen.- * -- | g '' ! * ’ 1 r
In mild climates,'the; Crane commences nidifioation about
tbe end-of April, but in the north’ -eggs are bardly-to.be
found before the' "middle- of May.- The nest is invariably
placed on the g ro u n d u p the drier portions of marshes, and
-tHe'-e^s-'arenas a rule two-up? number, although Meves
has -known as many as th re e : of 'a^pflé - greetfish-’ölive
ground i|göl%un, blotched and spotted with reddish^broWn
surfaée-markings and pale browh underlying - shell-spots •;
they measure abèüt-3'8 h y -2’6 in. The best and earliest
cirdumstantial aë’couut nesting ’(of -the Crane is,
undoubtedly, Sh&t given by th e’late Mr. John Wo] ley, in -‘The
fbisy 1859-] p p .'1 9 1 -1 9 8 r-' Since - th a t date several British
■oSfl^Bgi^ts bayè made- -the acquaintance, of .the CfaUe in
iti;braeding-haunts, and the charm of novelty has, perhaps,
-so' far 'passed away th a t naturalists of- the and of
succeeding- g e n e r a tie f may iaarVél at the thrill?: ph-enthusiasm.
communicated <to^Wollèy’s/cönternporanes by;tbe
■ narrative of his discovery'; yet- the ^ c triem a in s ■ thath© ,% b
of his successors has- ever rivalled- his description-, .which,
with a prosaib"!adheren(|e fkoy’f klsf- is- at the same-time
'steeped in-'the' poetic f e e in g - of the -true lover of nature.
It is ifudK’-fë be1 -regretted^that only a portion’can here^h
quoted-:— - ' v 1
i t was on th e ’IS th June; 1853, th a t I 'entered[the marsh
* The late Mrf E' the Cranes, ;p p .$ f and 61) eori^ider.ejt
tkat'the onqntal race which visited India., during the [cqld season, and w h i r ls
Iresümkkly identical with thVïïapanese;bird, was ^tifiguisbable' from the deèi-
dental race.'