in ornithology, a genus of the order of grallae. The general characters of this order are these: The bill is freight, sharp, long, and somewhat compressed, with a furrow that runs from the nostrils towards the point; the nostrils are linear, and the feet have four toes. This genus consists of 26 species; and under it Linnaeus comprehends the grus or crane, the ciconia or stork, and the ardea or heron, of other authors. The first species is the pavonina, or crowned crane, which has an erect bristly crest, with the temples and two wattles naked. The head is black; the crest is yellowish, and tipped with black at the top; the wings are white; and the feathers of the tail black, and of an equal length. It is a native of Africa. 2. The virgo has long white supercilium that hang down backwards. The body is of a bluish ash-colour, and about the size of a stork; the head and prime feathers of the wings towards the points are black and pendulous; the edges are red, and the pupils are ash-coloured; behind the eyes, on both sides, there is a feathery crest, which turns backwards a considerable way, and is of a white colour: The feet are black; the beak is green at the base, yellowish in the middle, and red at the point. 3. The canadensis, or brown and ash-coloured crane of Edwards, is naked and papillosus on the forehead; the body is ash-coloured, and the wings are of a reddish or brick-colour. 4. The grus, or common crane of English authors, has a naked papillosus crown; the prime feathers of the wings are black; the body is ash-coloured; the prime feathers of the tail are ragged. It is a native of Europe and Africa. It winters in Lithuania, Padodia: Trans Pontum fugat et terris immittit apricis. Virg. This bird commonly rests upon one foot. 5. The americana, or hooping crane of Edwards, is a native of America: The crown of the head and temples are naked and papillosus; the forehead, nape of the neck, and prime wing- wing-feathers are black; but the body is white: The under part of the head, as far as the lower chap, is red; the beak is yellowish, and jagged at the point; the feet are red, and the prime tail-feathers white. 6. The Antigone, or greatest Indian crane of Edwards, has a naked head, and papillous collar; the body is ash-coloured, and the prime wing-feathers black. Behind the eyes, there is a small white spot, and the crown of the head is also white. The breast is of a greenish yellow colour; the feet are red, and the prime tail-feathers ash-coloured. It is a native of Asia. 7. The ciconia, or white stork of Ray, has naked eye-balls, and black prime wing-feathers. The skin below the feathers, as also the beak, feet, and claws, are of a blood-colour. It is a native of Europe, Asia, and Africa; but is seldom or never to be met with in Italy. The ciconia feeds upon amphibious animals. It is such an enemy to serpents, that it is reckoned almost a crime to kill a stork. From this favourable treatment, they are seen in Holland and the Low Countries walking unconcerned in the middle of the streets. Storks are birds of passage; they spend the summer in Europe, and disappear all at once, and go off to Egypt, Ethiopia, &c., before winter, and do not return till about the middle of March. 8. The nigra, or black stork of Willoughby, has naked orbits, and the breast and belly are white; the body is black; the feet and orbits are blood-coloured. It inhabits the northern parts of Europe. 9. The nycticorax, or lesser ash-coloured heron of Ray, has a crest, consisting of three straight horizontal white feathers, on the back part of the head; the back is greenish, and the belly yellow. It inhabits the southern parts of Europe. 10. The purpurea, or common heron of English authors, has a crest, with two long green feathers hanging down from the back part of the head; the body is of an olive-colour, and purple below; the head is of a shining green colour. It is a native of the East. 11. The cinerea, or ash-coloured heron, has a smooth black head, a bluish back, white belly, and oblong black spots on the breast. It is a native of Europe. Great numbers of them together build their nests in trees. They are said to fly very high before storms. 12. The major has a black crest depending from the back part of the head, an ash-coloured body, and a black line and belt on the neck and breast. It is a native of Europe. 13. The garzetta is crested behind; the body is white, the beak black, and the feet greenish. It is a native of the East. 14. The cocoi has an ash-coloured crest hanging down from the back part of the head; the whole body is ash-coloured. It is a native of Cayenne. 15. The herodias is crested behind, has a dusky-coloured back, reddish thighs, and the breast speckled with oblong black spots. It is a native of America. 16. The violacea has a white crest; the body is variegated with black and white, and bluish below. It is a native of America. 17. The caerulea has a crest behind, and a bluish body. It is a native of N. America. 18. The hudsonia has a black crest on the top of the head; the body is dusky-coloured, and white below. It frequents Hudson's Bay. 19. The struta has a small crest on the back-part of the head; the back is of a hoary grey colour, and ash-coloured below; the long wing feathers are tipped with white. It is a native of Surinam. 20. The virecens has a small crest on the back part of the head, a green shining back, and dusky-coloured breast. It is a native of America. 21. The stellaris, or bittern, has a smooth head; it is variegated through the whole body with dark-coloured spots of different figures and sizes. It is a native of Europe, and inhabits chiefly the fen-countries. It is met with skulking among the reeds and sedge, and its usual posture is with the head and neck erect, and the beak pointed directly upwards. It will suffer persons to come very near it without rising; and has been known to strike at boys and at sportmen, when wounded and unable to make its escape. It flies principally about the dusk of the evening, and then rises in a very singular manner, by a spiral act, till it is quite out of sight. It makes a very strange noise when it is among the reeds, and a different and very singular one as it rises on the wing in the night. 22. The grisea has a smooth dusky head; the body is tawny above, and white below; and the prime wing-feathers have a black spot at the points. It is a native of the East. 23. The braflifilis has a smooth head; the body is blackish, with yellow spots; and the prime feathers of the wings and tail are greenish. It is a native of America. 24. The alba has a smooth head, a white body, a yellow beak, and black feet. It is a native of Europe. 25. The aquinoctialis has a smooth head, and a white body. It is a native of America. 26. The minuta has a smooth head, a dark-coloured body, and a yellowish belly. It is about the size of the turdus, and is a native of Switzerland and the East.