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NATURAL HISTORY. 



Sub-family d. . . . Ciconince. 

 CICONIA. (Lat. a Stork.) 



Alba (Lat. white), the Stork. 



collects a large mass of sticks and twigs, on which it lays 

 from three to five whitish eggs. "When disturbed, the birds 

 make a great clattering with their bills. The draining of our 

 morasses seems to have driven the Stork completely out of 

 this country, where it was formerly tolerably common. The 

 food of this bird consists of rats, mice, frogs, &c., and it is for 

 the benefits it confers upon man by devouring these" vermin 

 that it is so carefully protected and encouraged, especially in 

 the East, where the inhabitants do not trouble themselves by 

 removing carrion or offal, but leave that office to the vultures, 

 hyenas, and others scavengers of nature. The height of the 

 Stork is nearly four feet. 



The Adjutant of India, which is so useful in devouring ofFal 

 and vermin, is one of the Stork tribe. In the crop of one of 

 these birds was found a land tortoise, ten inches long, and 

 " a large black male cat, entire." 



