CICONIA NIGRA. 729 
ones ; for young locusts remain long near the spot where they are 
hatched.” 
In the neighbourhood of Kingwilliamstown, Captain Trevelyan 
says that it is an irregular migrant, but that he saw it in thousands 
in 1876. Mr. Gurney has received it from Natal, and Majors Butler, 
Feilden, and Capt. Reid met with it commonly near Newcastle 
during the winter months. According to these gentlemen, a few 
pairs breed in Natal. 
In the Transvaal Mr. Ayres records it as a rare visitant, and says 
that, though great swarms of locusts come every year, the Storks do 
not seem to follow them thither ; he found a solitary wanderer stalk- 
ing about on the open flats a mile out of Potchefstroom. Mr. 
Buckley states that on his return journey from the Matabele country 
he found immense flocks of these birds frequenting the sand-banks 
and grassy places along the Limpopo, and Mr. Frank Oates procured 
a specimen on the Ramaqueban River in November. According to 
Mr. Andersson this Stork is abundant at Lake N’gami and in many 
localities of the lake regions ; it is also quite common during the wet 
season in Ondonga and in Northern Damara Dand, sometimes 
occurring in large flocks; and it is seen occasionally during the 
same season in Southern Damara Land. 
All white, except the wings, which are black; bill and legs red. 
Length, 3’ 9”; wing, 1’ 11"; tail, 1’. 
Fig. Dresser, B. Kur. vi, pl. 402. 
706. Crconia nigra (L.) Black Stork. 
The Violet Stork is not common, but generally distributed. We 
have killed it at the Knysna, and Nel’s Poort (Beaufort), and have 
received specimens from most of our correspondents, including Mr. 
Chapman. It feeds upon fish, frogs, and crabs, and will take asmall 
mammal if it falls in with it. It is solitary in its habits, more than 
two being rarely, if ever, seen together. Its great height gives it a 
command of vision which puts all the shooters’ powers of woodcraft 
to the tax, to enable him to circumvent his quarry ; and if the bird 
is only wounded, he proves no mean antagonist, striking fiercely 
with its sharp-pointed and powerful bill at the face and hands of his 
pursuers. On one occasion, having only broken the tip of a wing 
with a long shot, we had to despatch our bird with half a charge of 
dust-shot, so great was his resistance; he, moreover, as if aware of 
