17 



and undrained land, as in Lincolnshire not long since, 

 affording harbour for snakes, reptiles, and the small am- 

 phibiiB, the Stork frequented England, and built tliere, as at 

 present in Holland and in Germany. Wallace, in his His- 

 tory of Northumberland, dated 1766, mentions a Stork as 

 having been killed at Collcrford Bridge. Albin records an 

 account of two specimens having been seen at Edgware in 

 Middlesex. Sir William Jardine somewhat vaguely says, 

 in allusion to the presence of the Stork, " In England it 

 has occurred lately at various seasons in many of the 

 Southern countries," he may merely have in view the autho- 

 rities given as above, "once or twice in Scotland, and as 

 far North as Shetland, on the authority of Yarrell, who 

 states this species (the white Stork, we presume) has been 

 killed in Ireland." This is not unlikely, as the bird fre- 

 quents Sweden and the countries adjacent. 



The best proof which I have to offer of Storks building 

 in England is from a notice I accidentally met with the 

 other day, recorded in a little book entitled, "The Accounts 

 of the Corpus Christi Fraternity at Maidstone." In these 

 accounts, dated 1477 a.d., amongst the payments for a feast 

 is an entry. 



For a Stork's nest £0 3 4 



These birds, for it is not likely the nest was edible, were 

 probably considered a delicacy, as young rooks are by some 

 people ; and that they were esteemed is in some measure 

 proved by the sura they cost, which, taking into considera- 

 tion the value of money in our own times compared with 

 those of Edward the Fourth, would equal thirty- 

 five or forty shillings of our coin. Amongst 

 the payments for the same feast we find re- 

 corded, " For a hogshead of red wine," twenty shillings ; 

 " two legs of mutton," fivepence ; " three rounds of beef," 

 sixteenpence ; " a calf," two and sixpence ; and a " barrel 

 of beer" (very small no doubt?) twcntypence. We may 

 wonder at this period how the nest of Storks tasted, as w« 



