306 HISTORY OF 



offence to kill a crane ; and though the legisla- 

 ture declines to punish, yet the people do not fail 

 to resent the injury. The crane they in some 

 measure consider as the prophet of the season : 

 upon its approach or delay they regulate the pe- 

 riods of their rural economy. If their favourite 

 bird comes early in the season, they expect a plen- 

 tiful summer ; if he is slow in his visits, they then 

 prepare for an unfavourable spring. Whatever 

 wisdom there may be in despising the prejudices 

 of the vulgar, there is but little in condemning 

 them. They have generally had their origin in 

 good motives ; and it should never be our endea- 

 vours to suppress any tender emotions of friend- 

 ship or pity, in those hard breasts that are in ge- 

 neral unsusceptible of either. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE STORK. 



IP we regard the Stork externally only, we shall 

 be very apt to confound it with the crane. It is 

 of the same size ; it has the same formation as to 

 the bill, neck, legs, and body, except that it is 

 something more corpulent. Its differences are 

 but very slight ; such as the colour, which in the 

 crane is ash and black, but in the stork is white 

 and brown. The nails of the toes of the stork 



