38 A CONTINENTAL TOUR. 



over the nests from the chimney- tops, the sooner to enjoy 

 the wished-for morsel, and appeared every moment as if 

 about to precipitate themselves into the streets below. 

 En passant, I may remark that when in Rotterdam, I 

 questioned a Dutchman concerning the probable origin of 

 the respect and protection which is afforded to this bird ; 

 he answered, as I expected, that it was on account of their 

 clearing the canals of frogs and other amphibious gentry 

 with which they abound. I had not, however, proceeded 

 ten yards after Mynheer had left me, when I observed an 

 old woman sitting under a tree, with a most excellent sup- 

 ply of frogs in a basket, ready for sale, and in fact before 

 I left her, a girl came up ' nothing loth,' and made a pur- 

 chase. If, therefore, frogs are in request as an article of 

 food, as it is known they have been for centuries, no thanks 

 are due to the storks for their efforts in diminishing their 

 number, and as, in as far as I have heard or read, there 

 are no noxious or poisonous animals in the country, it is 

 probable that the popular superstition in favour of these 

 birds must have originated in some other cause. Besides, 

 it is generally admitted that still waters stagnate sooner 

 when deprived of animal life than when teeming with 

 aquatic myriads, so that their claims to protection as puri- 

 fiers of the water, are at best of a dubious nature. They 

 may, however, act as a check to the superabundant pro- 

 duction of such creatures during the heats of summer, the 



