WJiite Stork in South Africa. 53 



as they travelled. Their food appears to be insects of varions 

 kinds, but chiefly locusts, grasshoppers, and mantis, and while 

 they may be seen all over the veld, and along the railway- 

 line, they seem to prefer the cultivated lucerne and barley 

 fields, and wet marshy localities as feeding-grounds, where 

 the latter furnish them with small frogs and possibly earth- 

 worms as an additional diet. 



By means of the practical experiment of placing an 

 aluminium ring bearino; a number and other data on the 

 leg of the nestling Stork, we are enabled to obtain accurate 

 knowledge of the distances traversed by these wanderers, 

 and speculation has been turned to certainty. 



The White Stork is now protected in South Africa by law, 

 consequently the number of marked birds procured is worthy 

 of note, inasmuch as if they were not so protected, it stands 

 to reason that the number would be much larger still. Most 

 — nearly all in fact. — of the ringed birds seem to have met 

 with accidenfal deaths. In Basutoland the natives call the 

 bird the " Mokotatsie," literally "one who picks up locusts." 

 They, unfortunately, kill the bird in fair numbers and even 

 eat it, although they state its flesh tastes like horseflesh, and 

 is not much liked by them. 



Arrivals : In 1907 the earliest date of arrival was 20th 

 September (Komatipoort, Major Hamilton), which is so far 

 the earliest record we have for South Africa. This is fol- 

 lowed by 26th September (Modderfontein, near Johannes- 

 berg, Haagner). This, in turn, is succeeded by five records 

 for November — two, strange to say, in the Eastern C;ape 

 Colony and Pondoland, being on the 9th. One date in 

 December (12th, Kimberley, W. Kirby) ; from which data 

 we see that the birds were practically a month earlier in 



1907 than in 1908 or 1909. 



The earliest date of the birds arrival in South Africa in 



1908 (i^ide Migration Report, summer 1908, Journal 

 S. A. O. U. August 1910) was the 28th Septeml)er at Ernielo, 

 Transvaal (0. H. Taylor), followed b}' the 17th October at 

 Umtamvuna, Pondoland (on the South Coast) by (J. G. 

 Davies, which iti turn is followed by 2r)th October at Pirie, 



