THE CONDOR 
 
Thirteen eggs from southern Idaho average 9.75 cm. in length and 6.14 cm.
in 
width. The shortest, 8.89 cm., is 6.10 cm. long; the longest, 10.59 cm.,
is also the 
narrowest, 5.75 cm., and the widest, 6.50 cm., is 10.23 cm. long. 
In walking, the birds hold their beads partly lowered; the head moves backward

and forward as if to take up the recoil. At intervals, they stop, stand still
and lift the 
head high for better observation of the surroundings. In this attitude, but
not in 
the same habitat, they somewhat resemble large Great Blue Herons of lighter
gray 
color. At shorter distances, the most prominent characteristic of the breeding
crane is 
the deep red, with a suggestion of mauve, of the head. 
When disturbed, both adults may exhibit the so-called "injury feigning,"
by limping 
and flopping away in a manner similar to that of the curlew but made more
pronounced 
and ridiculous by their large size. On the nest, they may remain motionless,
watching, 
with the neck extended vertically or with head and neck close to the ground
as if to be 
as inconspicuous as possible; and it is remarkable how so large a bird can
blend in 
with its surroundings. In leaving the nest by flying, the hoarse, guttural
croaking is 
emitted, but while on the nest, the bird apparently remains silent. At the
time of court- 
ship the male (apparently this sex) struts about its mate, sometimes with
body and 
neck extended forward. Then it springs into the air a few inches to a few
feet, repeating 
the dance and steps many times in rapid succession. 
Spring migration through Utah varies from late February through much of March.

In 1933 small flocks of eight or ten to fifteen or twenty were reported flying
north 
over Utah Lake; and on March 2 one large flock was located in Box Elder County,

north of Great Salt Lake, and it was reported to have been in the locality
for the 
previous ten days. It seems that the migrating flocks congregate in this
or similar 
regions prior to mating, separating for the scattered breeding grounds about
the 
middle of April. 
On this date the flock numbered 400 (counted on a moving picture film), and
it was 
estimated by other observers that 1500 had been present the week before.
The birds 
shift from place to place, but they seem to have been in the habit of seeking
the feeding 
grounds in the morning, departing at about 11 a.m. to return about 4 p.m.
and continue 
feeding until dark. They were extremely wary and it was impossible to approach
the 
flock in the open country. As they took to wing, the voice had a somewhat
goose-like 
quality, but with numbers "talking" it had a deep frog-like guttural
croaking sound 
that continued to reach the hearer after the flock could no longer be seen.

At Fish Springs, the rancher reports that the cranes usually appear about
March 
15 to 20 and depart about September 15 to 20. In 1936 they arrived March
19. No 
records of fall migration through the central part of Utah have been obtained.
It 
seems as if the southern migration is farther east, following the valleys
of the Green 
River to those of the Colorado River, to the winter range in the southwestern
United 
States and Mexico. 
Conclusions.-Fish Springs, Utah, at the southern end of the Great Salt Desert,

marks the southern limit of the present breeding range of the Sandhill Crane
in the 
intermountain region. The spring migration seems to be through the central
part of 
Utah, with the birds congregating in the open valleys north of Great Salt
Lake for 
feeding prior to separating to seek the breeding grounds which are in the
isolated 
valleys in southern Idaho and Wyoming drained by the Snake River. The fall
migration 
is farther east, following the drainage system of the Green and Colorado
rivers. 
 
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, October ir, 1937. 
 
Vol. XL