258 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



in spite of the objections of the natives. These nests stand 

 either singly or several together on one tree ; they are propor- 

 tionately of insignificant size, and contained from three to four 

 bluish-white, line-grained, and beautifully shaped oval eggs, 

 which were still unhatched." 



Dr. A. Brehm's journal (Journ. fiirOrn. 1856, pp. 412,413) 

 refers, under the same date, to this Stork in the following terms: — 

 " This bird, especially seeking the presence of men, confidingly 

 perches on the tops of those peculiar, round, wedge-shaped straw 

 huts of the interior of Africa, adorned with eggs of the Ostrich, 

 and here called ' tokahl ; ' the dweller in the hut rejoices in 

 these * birds of blessing,' as he calls them, and protects them 

 from foreign disturbance ; in fact he offers the same perfect hos- 

 pitality to every bird which establishes its nest near his dwelling. 

 In the Storks^ nests the chattering host of House-Sparrows 

 build their nests ; on the lower bushes, at hardly man's height, 

 are seen many old nests of Turtledoves. 



" I sent my servant Aali, in spite of his opposition, up the trees 

 to fetch me down eggs of the Storks. He brought me many, three 

 or four from each nest. The eggs are rather large, 24'" to 30'" 

 long, round, and bluish-white ; when they are blown they ap- 

 pear almost pure white. The Arabs raised a cry of murder, that 

 we disturbed their holy birds, ' Simbere,' and invoked the curse 

 and punishment of heaven upon Aali and me, which brought 

 him quite to rage and despair. 



" Of all the nests examined (about twenty in number) only six 

 were occupied ; on the other nests the birds were still building. 

 Many trees were bedecked with several nests." 



Dr. von Heuglin (Ibis, 1861, p. 70) describes this Stork as 

 frequenting the plains of Sennaar after the grass has been burnt, 

 in quest of " half-roasted grasshoppers ;" and Sir Samuel Baker 

 informs me that it is to this species that reference is made in 

 the following extract from his recent * Nile Tributaries of 

 Abyssinia' (2nd ed. pp. 547, 548). 



" During the march over a portion of the country which had 

 been cleared by burning we met a remarkably curious hunting- 

 party. A number of the common black and white Storks were 

 hunting for grasshoppers and other insects, but mounted on the 



