WHITE STORK. 525 



CICONIA ALBA. 

 WHITE STORK. 



(PLATE 37.) 



Ciconia alba, Briss. Om. v. p. 365 (1760) ; Bechst. Natury. Deutschl. iii. p. 41 (1793) ; 



et auctorum plurimorum Temminck, Deyland $ Gerbe, Naumann, 



Dresser, &c. 



Ardea ciconia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 235 (1766). 

 Ciconia alba, var. major, j 



Ciconia azretti, > Severtz. Turkest. Jevotn. pp. 68, 145 (1873). 



Ciconia alba asiatica, ) 

 Ciconia niycteriiarhyncha, Severtz. fide Dresser, Ibis, 1876, p. 324. 



It is not known that the White Stork ever bred in the British Islands, 

 but it occasionally visits them, either singly or in small parties, during the 

 spring and autumn migration. It is most often seen in the eastern and 

 southern counties. In Scotland it has occurred in the counties of Berwick 

 and Forfar ; but in Ireland there is only one record of its occurrence, in 

 1846, when three Storks were seen in the county of Cork, one of which 

 was shot. 



The range of the White Stork, like that of so many other birds, ex- 

 tends from the Atlantic to Central Asia. It is a summer visitor to the 

 western Palsearctic Region, wintering in West Africa and throughout 

 South Africa as far north as the Soudan. It does not breed in Norway, 

 but occurs as an occasional straggler up to lat. 61. It breeds in South 

 Sweden, occasionally straying as far north as lat. 60. In the Baltic 

 Provinces it breeds up to lat. 58 ; but it does not appear to be found 

 in the valley of the Volga. It is a very common resident in the Caucasus ; 

 but is only a summer migrant to Turkestan as far east as Yarkand. 

 It is a common summer visitor to the whole of Europe south of these 

 limits ; but in France it has been entirely exterminated during the 

 breeding-season, and in Italy nearly so, and is only known now in these 

 two countries as passing through on migration. It occasionally visits the 

 Canaries on migration ; but is a regular summer migrant to Algeria. It 

 passes in great numbers through Palestine and Egypt on migration, a few 

 remaining to breed in the former country. It is a common summer visitor 

 to Asia Minor and Persia, and winters in North India. 



In the valley of the Lower A moor, Manchooria, East Mongolia, North 

 China, and Japan a nearly allied species occurs (Ciconia boyciana), 



