STORKS. 



61 



The Storks, which form the next section of this order, include several 

 families represented by some remarkable forms. 



Family II. BAL.ENICIPITID^:. SHOE-BILLED STORKS. 



The Whale-headed Stork or Shoe-bill (Balaniceps rex) (654) is [Case 35.] 

 certainly the most striking and extraordinary of all the Storks. It is 

 confined to the marsh-countries of the Upper Nile, and thence ranges 

 southwards through the great system of lakes as far south as Nyasa. 

 Though it perches freely on trees, it places its nest in the reeds or high 

 grass immediately on the water's edge. Its principal food consists of 

 fish and reptiles, and its strongly hooked bill seems specially adapted 

 to seize and rip open turtles arid the mailed fishes with which the waters 

 of Central Africa abound. 



Family III. SCOPID^:. HAMMER-HEAD STORKS. 



The Hammer-head (Scopus umbrettd) (655), as in the preceding [Case 36.] 

 instance, is the sole representative of a distinct family, which inhabits 

 Madagascar and a large part of the Ethiopian Region. It frequents 

 wooded districts, and is generally met with in pairs. The nesting- 

 habits are remarkable, for the birds build an enormous structure of 

 sticks lined with roots and clay, with an entrance in the side and 

 usually a flat top. This mass, sometimes amounting to quite a cart- 

 load, is placed either on a tree or rock, and contains from three to five 

 Avhite eggs. 



Family IV. CICONIID^E. STORKS. 



A number of genera are included in the true Storks. On the ground- [Cases 

 floor of the Case the visitor will find the ungainly and rather repulsive 35 36> ] 

 looking Adjutant (Leptoptilus dubius) (656), with its bare pinkish-red 

 head and neck and pendulous pouch, which can be inflated at will and 

 is apparently merely ornamental. This species and its two close allies 

 all possess the beautiful soft under tail-coverts known as " Marabou " 

 feathers, which are in demand for purposes of millinery. In India this 

 bird is protected on account of its utility as a scavenger, and may often 

 be seen in the streets of the towns, devouring carrion and fearless alike 

 of man and dog. 



The genus Ciconia is represented by the White Stork (C. alba) (657) 

 and the Black Stork (C. nigra) (658), both of which are occasional 

 stragglers to Great Britain. As in their allies, the absence of the 

 so-called " intrinsic muscles " deprives them of voice, and the only 

 sound they can produce is a loud clatter made by beating the mandibles 

 rapidly together. If flying, they hold the neck straight forward like 



