HERODIONES. 333 



plumes. The home-making instincts and the instincts 

 for the rearing of young are among the finest instinct: 

 of which the tribes of animals are capable; and yet the 

 beautiful outward expression of these instincts in the 

 egret have proved its death warrant; it must give up its 

 life, its mate, its young, to adorn someone's head. This 

 is worse than the Indian brave who makes his war head- 

 dress of eagles' feathers; his cruelty is to be excused on the 

 ground of his being a savage. 



The white-faced glossy ibis winters from Mexico 

 on southward, and in company with egrets and herons 

 breeds in our Southwest, from Texas and the Rio Grande 

 country on through Arizona and New Mexico. All these 

 birds, in spite of their long legs and necks, have extensive 

 powers of flight. On the wing their long legs trail out 

 behind them, balancing the weight of the head in front. 



The storks are natives of the Old World. The Jabiru, 

 or American stork, native to Central and South America, 

 is said to have the same habits as the European stork. 

 The Maribou stork of Africa, the carrion-eating stork of 

 the Deccan, the black and green and purple stork of China, 

 are among the Old-World storks. The fish-, frog-, and 

 snake-eating storks of Africa are famous in song and 

 story. The maguari stork is found in Argentina. Thus 

 it seems that the storks of the order are quite well dis- 

 tributed in the countries of the world. 



