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When a stork selects some outhouse here whereon 

 to build its nest, the people encourage it in every 

 possible way, and even prop up its nest with poles. I 

 have even heard of a cart-wheel being placed on the 

 summit of a house to form a proper and safe founda- 

 tion for a stork's nest. The eggs of the stork are 

 sometimes removed from the nest, and hens' eggs put 

 in their place, from the singular notion that the pro- 

 duce will be good layers. When this is done, however, 

 the chickens must be removed as soon as they are 

 hatched, otherwise the stork will devour them. 



The black stork (C. nigra) is occasionally seen in the 

 south of Norway. It makes its nest in the crown of a 

 large tree ; the eggs are three or four in number, 

 perfectly white, and as large as those of a common 

 fowl. 



The crane (Grus cinerea) is much less common now 

 in Norway than it was formerly. It is sometimes seen 

 on the Porsanger-fjord, in East Finmark; called here 

 tranen. Nests in rushes on marshy ground, and 

 sometimes on isolated buildings, and lays two eggs, 

 greenish-gray in colour, marked with brown spots and 

 blotches. 



The spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is called in Nor- 

 way the ske-gaas, or spoon goose. It is sometimes 

 seen on the fjord near Christiania. It nests in tall 

 reeds by the water, and lays from two to four large 

 eggs, which are sometimes pure white, at other times 

 marked with pink spots. 



The common heron ( Ardea cinerea) is pretty common 

 in the extreme west of Norway, especially in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Stavanger, where it is said to remain 

 throughout the winter. Its Norwegian name is heiren. 



