15 



a little stranger is bom in a house, to the great joy and 

 wonderment of the younger children in the nursery, 

 " Where does baby come from ? " is a natural query. 

 " The Stork has brought it," said the old nurses to the 

 little Danes and Saxons. The Stork was truly a familiar 

 and household bird to our Northern forefathers at the date 

 of these sayings, and almost as cherished as the little in- 

 habitants of our roofs and eaves, the gentle swallows. 



I might mention also, in allusion to the above, that 

 " Christening Tongs " were once formed with handles, re- 

 presenting Storks ; each bird sometimes carrying a little 

 child. 



I must now refer to that part of the subject which first 

 induced me to prepare this paper — a subject which has from 

 time to time excited attention, and engaged the considera- 

 tion of many writers in that iLseful publication, " Notes and 

 Queries," and other periodicals. "Did the Stork ever 

 inhabit and breed in England ? " and if so, when was the 

 fact last observed ? and why did it leave us ? "It will 

 only live in Republics," saj's one authority, and " it was 

 common in England in the time of Oliver Cromwell." Sir 

 Thomas Brown, in his Treatise on " Vulgar Errors," vol. 

 3, page 142, ed. 1626, seriously endeavours to refute an 

 hypothesis which implied such a nicety of political scruples 

 in a bird ; and he instances several countries wherein the 

 Stork is found abiding under despotic governments. It is 

 not worth while, however, for us to linger over an hypo- 

 thesis so absurd as this. 



We revert to our question, did the Stork ever breed in 

 England ? The poets have answered in the affirmative — 

 Phillips in his poem on " Cyder," p. 22, ed. 1727, alludes 

 to the migration of the Stork to this country as a known 

 fact — 



'Twill profit when tlie Stork, sworn foe to snakes, 

 Returns to show compassion to thy plaints. 



The poets are not the most correct teachers in Natural His- 



