342 THE STORK. 



to those of the New as well as of the Old world*. 

 In Americat, too, its migrations are equally regular, 

 passing its immense periodical journeys at such a prodi- 

 gious height as to be seldom observed. It is satisfactory 

 thus to strengthen the authority of a Scriptural passage 

 from so distant a source, though amply borne out by 

 witnesses in the very country in which the prophet 

 dwelt. 



" In the middle of April," says a traveller^ in the Holy 

 Land, "while our ship was riding at anchor under 

 Mount Carmel, we saw three flights of these birds, each 

 of which took up more than three hours in passing us, 

 extending itself, at the same time, more than half a mile 

 in breadth." They were then leaving Egypt, and steer- 

 ing towards the north-east of Palestine, where it seems, 

 from the account of another eye-witness, they abound in 

 the month of May. "Returning from Cana to Naza- 

 reth," he observes, " I saw the fields so filled with flocks 

 of Storks, that they appeared quite white with them; 

 and when they rose and hovered in the air, they seemed 

 like clouds. The respect paid in former times to these 

 birds is still shown; for the Turks, notwithstanding their 

 recklessness in shedding human blood, have a more than 

 ordinary regard for Storks, looking upon them with an 

 almost reverential affection." 



In the neighbourhood of Smyrna, and indeed through- 

 out the whole of the Ottoman dominions, wherever the 

 bird abides during his Summer visits, it is welcomed. 

 They call him their friend and their brother, the friend 

 and brother exclusively of the Moslem race, entertaining 

 a belief that wherever the influence of their religion 

 prevailed, he would still bear them company; and it 

 might seem that these sagacious birds are well aware of 

 this predilection; for singularly enough, a recent tra- 

 veller, who met with them in incredible numbers in 

 Asia Minor, observed, that although they built on the 



* See p. 66. + HEARVE'S Journey in North America. $ Chardin. 

 MACFARLANE'S Constantinople. 



