STORKS, HERONS, AND PELICAN TRIBE 



51 



account of tlie peculiar gait, which bears a fanciful resem- 

 blance to the measured pacing of an officer on parade. Like 

 all the Storks, they have large bodies and very long legs, but 

 thc_\- have outstripped all their relati\-es in the enormous size 

 of the beak. The features which have earned this unenviable 

 reputation for ugliness are the peculiarly unkempt and 

 unwashed appearance of the head and neck. These are but 

 scantily clothed in very shabb\-, brown-looking down-feathers; 



the 



-1: is made still 



ADJUTANT-STORK 



The curujui iciud biig li luel/ ihoicn 



would be " The Father of the 

 Beak." Hut it is not only on 

 account of their sca\'enging 

 propensities that the adjutants 

 are esteemed, for it is from 

 the under tail-co\-erts of these 

 birds that the much-prized 

 " marabou " or " comercolly " 

 feathers are obtained — at least 

 the finest kinds; for some 



appear to be furnished b\- that chief of scavengers, the vulture. 

 More precious still " is the celebrated stone called Zahir 

 mora, or poison-killer, of great virtue and repute as an anti- 

 dote to all kinds of poison," to be procured onh' b\' splitting 

 open the head of the bird before death. Needless to sa\', 

 the existence of this stone li\-es onl}' in popular superstition, 

 though how many poor birds ha\'e fallen victims thereto is 

 not pleasant to contemplate. 



Adjutants choose almost inaccessible pinnacles of rock on 



phut) by u\ y. ij..n..., ; ,;, >. 

 ADJUTANT-STORK 



Thti ihowi the bird in a ralher ur.uiua! 

 attitude 



more, we might almost say, 

 repulsive b_\' the presence of a 

 large bare pouch, which can 

 be distended with air to an 

 enormous size at will. The 

 Arabs, onaccountof this pouch, 

 call the species resident with 

 them " The Father of the 

 Leather Bottle." Some, how- 

 e\-er, sa)' that the correct trans- 

 lation of the nati\'e name 



;';,■.;. ,', > A,;,,...,. fh..:c, L,. 



JABIRU STORK 



Thii bird stunJs hetiueen ^ and J feet h'l^h 



