The Stork. 



213 



capital of Germany. Having a curiosity 

 to inspect the nest, the owner climbed up 

 and found in it one t^g, which, being 

 about the size of a goose's ^^z, was re- 

 placed by one belonging to that bird. The 

 storks seemed not to notice the exchange; 

 but no sooner was the ^<gg hatched than 

 the male bird, perceiving the difference, 

 rose from the nest, and, flying round it 

 several times with loud screams, disap- 

 peared, and was not seen again for three 

 days, during which time the female con- 

 tinued to tend her offspring as usual. 

 Early on the fourth morning, however, the 

 inmates of the house were disturbed by 

 loud and discordant cries, when they per- 

 ceived about 500 storks assembled in a 

 dense body, and one standing about 20 

 yards from the rest, haranguing his com- 

 , panions, who stood listening, to all appear- 

 ance, with great emotion. When this bird 

 had concluded, it retired, and another took 

 its place and seemed to address them in 



a similar manner. This proceeding was 

 repeated by several successive birds, until 

 about II o'clock in the forenoon, when the 

 whole flock simultaneously rose in the air, 

 uttering dismal cries. The female all this 

 time was observed to remain on her nest, 

 watching their motions with apparent tre- 

 pidation. In a short time the body of 

 storks made toward her headed by one 

 bird supposed to be the male, who struck 

 her vehemently three or four times, and 

 knocked her out of the nest; the whole 

 mass then followed the attack, until they 

 had not only destroyed the female stork 

 (who made no attempt to escape or defend 

 herself), but the young gosling also, and 

 utterly removed every vestige of the nest 

 itself. Since that time, now many years 

 ago, no stork has been known to build, or 

 even has been seen in the neighborhood." 

 The preserved remains of the poor stork 

 and gosling are now in the house where 

 this remarkable occurrence took place. 



J. J. Sprenger. 



