THE STORKS AND HERONS. 97 
from the ground, first flying low and heavily, and after a time rising in the 
air spirally to a great height, flying around in large circles, as if reconnoi- 
tring the country to a vast extent for new quarters. When wounded, they 
possess great courage in defending themselves from the attacks of man, and 
ean inflict very severe wounds with their bills. They feed on grain, seeds, 
worms, and insects, also small mammals, reptiles, and fish. he nest is 
usually raised above the ground, sometimes to the height of the body when 
standing, and is composed of grasses and reeds. The eges are generally 
5 oD 
two in number, and both sexes incubate. 
Fairy Crconipz. THE STorkKs. 
Mr. Temminck observes that the Storks, as a rule, live in marshes, and 
feed principally on reptiles, frogs and their spawn, as well as fishes, small 
mammals, and young birds. They are, in all the old countries, where they 
oceur, a privileged race on account of their utility, and of the havoe they 
make among the noxious animals. Their migration takes place in great 
flocks: they are easily tamed. Of these birds, the Common or White Stork 
of Europe. is probably the best known. This species is, from long habit, 
very tame, approaching the dwellings of man without fear. “In Holland 
and Germany, especially, the bird is treated as a welcome guest, and there, 
as indeed elsewhere, it annually returns to the nest which has cradled many 
generations, on the steeple, on the turret, on the false chimney that the Hol- 
lander has erected for its site, im the box, or on the platform which the 
German has placed for its use. The stump of a decayed tree is sometimes 
chosen by the bird, and the nest is made of sticks and twigs, on which are 
laid from three to five cream-colored eggs about the size of those of the 
common goose. The incubation continues for about a month, when the 
young are hatched; these are carefully attended by the parent birds until 
they are fully feathered and able to obtain food for themselves. In the 
continental towns domesticated Storks, which have been taken from the 
nest when young, may be often seen about the markets, where they are 
recognized as scavengers, cleaning the place of fish, entrails, and other 
offal, to their own and the citizen’s satisfaction. 
There are other species, among which are the Black Stork, the African 
Gigantic Stork, or the Marabou. 
Famimny Arpeipa. THe Herons. 
This very extensive and generally-distributed group embraces the true 
Herons, the Eerets, the Bitterns, the Cranes, &e. 
These birds, as a rule, frequent the margins of rivers, lakes, or marshes, 
feeding on fish, reptiles, and even small mammals. Essentially formed for 
