The crane iz neither flesh, beast, nor fowl, but a sad mixtur ov all
theze things.
He mopes along the brinks ov kreeks and wet places, looking for sumthing
he haz lost.
He haz a long bill, long wings, long legs, and iz long all over.
He iz born ov one egg and goes thru life az lonesum az a lasts year's
bird's nest.
He livs upon lizzards and frogs, and picks up things with hiz bill az he
would with a pair ov tongs.
He sleeps standing like a gide board, and sumtimes tips over in hiz
dreams, and then hiz bill enters the ground like a pik ax.
When he flies thru the the air, he iz az graceful az a windmill, broke
loose from its fastenings.
Cranes are not very plenty in this world, but the supply, up tew this
date, just about equals the demand.
The crane iz not a good bird for diet; the meat tastes like injun rubber
stretched tight over a clothes hoss.
I never hav et enny crane, nor don't mean to, untill all the biled owl
in the country givs out.
I kant tell what the Sandy Hill crane waz made for, and it aint none ov
mi bizzness--even a crane from Sandy Hill kan fill hiz destiny, and
praize God loafing along the banks ov a kreek and spearing frogs for hiz
dinner.
I hav spent mutch time among the birds, beasts, and fishes, and expekt
tew spend more, and tho i couldn't never tell exackly what cumfort a
musketo waz tew the bulk ov mankind, or what kredit he waz tew himself,
i am forced tew admit that enny thing so perfektly and delikately made
iz, to say the least, a dredful smart job.
Cranes are very long-lived, and are az free from guile az a bread pill
iz.
Cranes seldom git shot. Thare iz two reazons for this; one iz, they
alwus keep gitting a leetle further oph; and the other iz, thare would
be no more kredit for a hunter in bringing a ded crane home for game
than thare would be a yeller dog.