. A history of British birds . ark green,the garter above the tarsal joint orange. The whole length is eighteen inches. From the carpaljoint to the end of the wing, about eight inches. The adult bird, from its more decided dark colour, wasformerly considered distinct, and called F. aterrima byLinnaeus; but we have only one species. The young birdsof the year are smaller than the parent, the naked frontalpatch is also smaller, the throat is nearly white, and theunder parts of the plumage are of a lighter grey. Youngchicks on emerging from the egg-shell are covered withblack down, with some ligh
. A history of British birds . ark green,the garter above the tarsal joint orange. The whole length is eighteen inches. From the carpaljoint to the end of the wing, about eight inches. The adult bird, from its more decided dark colour, wasformerly considered distinct, and called F. aterrima byLinnaeus; but we have only one species. The young birdsof the year are smaller than the parent, the naked frontalpatch is also smaller, the throat is nearly white, and theunder parts of the plumage are of a lighter grey. Youngchicks on emerging from the egg-shell are covered withblack down, with some lighter-coloured filaments about theupper parts. Varieties entirely white, and others only partially white,have occurred in Norfolk and Lincolnshire, and on theContinent. * Thus Drajton in his Poly-olbion, 25th Song :-— The Coot, bald, else clean black, that whitenesse it doth beareUpon the forehead starrd, the Water-hen doth wearUpon her little tayle, in one small feather set. VOL. III. A A 178 A LECTORI DBS. CxRUIDiE. Grus communis, Becbstein,* THE COMMON CRANE. Grus cincrca. Grus, Bechsteinf.—Beak longer than the head, straight, strong, compressed,and pointed. Nostrils placed longitudinally in a furrow, large, pervious, closedposteriorly by a membrane. Legs long, strong, naked above the joint; threetoes in front ; middle toe united to the outer toe by a membrane ; hind toearticulated high up on the tarsus. Wings moderate, rounded in form ; thefirst quill-feather shorter than the second ; the third the longest in the wing. * Viig. Deutschl. iii. p. 60 (1793). + loc cit. CRANE. 179 In former Editions of this work the Crane was classed inthe same order with the Herons; but it is now generallyadmitted by modern systematists that the Gnddce have noreal affinity to the Ardeixhe. The young of the Heronsand Storks are nearly naked and helpless when hatched,whereas the young of the Cranes are covered with a closedown, and they are able to run about soon after emergingfrom t
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