196 THE WHITE STORK. 



time we should refer more minutely to its habits. 

 The disposition of this bird is gentle and con- 

 fiding ; it is easily tamed, and has been known 

 to mingle with the sports of children, yielding 

 itself to their playfulness, as if willing to con- 

 tribute to their amusement. The stork is a most 

 devoted parent, feeding her young for a long 

 period, and aiding them with the tenderest care, 

 in their first feeble attempts to fly, carrying 

 them on her wings, and defending them in dan- 

 ger with the utmost courage ; and when to save 

 them is impossible, she will perish with them 

 rather than abandon them in their extremity. 



An incident which occurred in the conflagra- 

 tion of the city of Delft, has often been men- 

 tioned. " A stork was observed to make extra- 

 ordinary efforts to carry off her helpless brood to 

 a place of safety. Her attempts were unsuc- 

 cessful ; but though she had failed to rescue 

 them from the threatened destruction, she would 

 not desert them in their peril. She remained 

 with them in the midst of the flames, and shared 

 their fate, being thus consumed in the same fu- 

 neral pile with her beloved family." 



In maternal tenderness, however, the storks are 

 not unequalled by other birds ; but they exceed 

 them all in the filial affection the young evince to- 

 wards their parents. "We have been interested by 



