230 CICONIIDiE. 



quiet, never using its powerful beak as a weapon of offence 

 against its fellow-prisoners, and making no noise except the 

 clattering sound which it produced by the snapping of its 

 mandibles. This Black Stork stood for its portrait to illus- 

 trate the ornithological works of Bennett, Selby, Gould, 

 Meyer, and the Author. 



In the adult bird the beak, and the naked skin around 

 the eye, are scarlet ; the irides reddish-brown ; the head, 

 neck all round, upper surface of the body, wings, and wing- 

 coverts, are glossy black, varied with blue, purple, copper- 

 coloured, and green reflections ; the primary quill-feathers 

 and the tail black ; the whole of the under surface of the 

 body, from the bottom of the neck to the ends of the under 

 tail-coverts, white ; the legs and toes scarlet ; the claws 

 black. 



There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes. 



The whole length of the specimen killed in Dorsetshire 

 was three feet four inches. From the carpal joint to the 

 end of the wing, twenty-one inches ; the length of the beak 

 from the point to the angle of the gape, seven inches ; 

 length of the middle toe four inches ; of the tarsus eight 

 inches ; of the naked part above, four inches and a half. 



The colours in this specimen, which were not those of 

 mature age, are thus described. Head and neck dusky- 

 brown ; wings, tail, and back, black or dusky-brown, with 

 purple reflections ; lower part of breast and belly white ; 

 bill and orbits bright orange ; irides hazel ; legs and toes 

 pale red. In very young birds the beak, the naked skin 

 around the eyes, and the legs, are olive-green, the head and 

 neck being then of a reddish-brown. 



The nestling is covered with a yellowish-grey down. 



