lOo Allen's naturalists library. 



Nest. — Of considerable size, built of large and small sticks 

 mixed, as Mr. Seebohm informs us, " with lumps of earth and 

 masses of decayed reeds ; it is very shallow, and is lined with 

 softer materials of all kinds — dry grass, moss, hair, feathers, 

 rags, bits of paper, wool, or anything it can pick up." Incu- 

 bation lasts about a month, and the young when newly 

 hatched are clothed with down of an ashy-whitish colour, the 

 bare spaces being at first very clearly marked. 



Eggs. — Three to five in number ; dull white and rather rough, 

 with little gloss. Axis, 2'55-2"95 inches; diam., 2*o-2*i5. 



IL THE BLACK STORK. CICONIA NIGRA. 



Ardea nigra^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 235 (1760). 



Cicofiia nigra^ Macg. Brit. B. iv. p. 485 (1852); Dresser, B. 

 Eur. vi. p. 309, pi. 406 (1873); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 

 112 (1883); Seebohm, Br. B. iv. p. 529(1884); Saunders, 

 ed. Yarn Br. B. iv. p. 225 (1884); id. Man. Br. B. p. 377 

 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. part xx. (1891). 



Adult Male in Breeding-Plumage. — General colour above glossy, 

 for the most part metallic-purple with green margins to the 

 feathers, the green predominating on the neck and mantle and 

 the lesser wing-coverts, the median and greater coverts more 

 distinctly purplish but with bronzy reflections ; primaries black 

 with a greenish gloss ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 dusky-brown, with purplish edgings, becoming green on the 

 latter ; tail-feathers glossy purplish-bronze ; crown of head 

 dusky-blackish, glossed with green, especially towards the nape ; 

 the neck all round green, with a strong gloss of purple on 

 the hinder neck, and again on the lower throat; sides of 

 face and upper throat brilliant purple, with golden-bronze re- 

 flections ; fore-neck and chest greenish, with a slight purple 

 gloss ; remainder of under surface, from the chest downwards, 

 pure white, including the axillaries ; under wing-coverts dusky 

 slate-colour, with a slight gloss of green or purple ; " bill, 

 orbital space, and pouch coral-red ; legs and feet coral-red, 

 blackish on front of tarsi ; iris brown " {A. O. Hume). Total 

 length, 38 inches; culmen, 77; wing, 21-5; tail, 8-oj tarsus, 

 8-2. 



