THE WHITE STORK. 201 



it is said, repairing with the utmost punctuality 

 to the nest they had occupied in the previous 

 season: or if the nest should have been de- 

 stroyed, building afresh on the site occupied 

 by their former dwelling. In Alsace, Lorraine, 

 and Holland, the inhabitants fix boxes on the 

 roofs of their houses, for the accommodation of 

 their annual visitors ; who on their part appeared 

 to be sensible of the kindness of their entertain- 

 ers, and are said to show marks of attachment to 

 their hosts.* 



The stork is repeatedly mentioned in the 

 Scriptures. It is, however, evident that the 

 well-known passage in the Psalms, " As for the 

 stork, the fir-trees are her house," refers to the 

 black stork, a bird as fond of solitude as the 

 white stork is of society; choosing the thick 

 woods for its abiding-place, and building its nest 

 in tall trees, especially fir-trees. 



There is a passage in the prophet Jeremiah 

 that applies equally to the black and the white 

 stork. It is that in which the prophet contrasts 

 the inconsiderate and forgetful nature of man, 

 (who neglects to obey the laws of his Maker, and 

 is not careful to follow the path marked out to 

 him by the daily course of providential events,) 



See Griffith's Cuvier. 



K 5 



