S4 CICONIIDiE DISSUEA' 



Distribution.—The White-bellied Stork is found throughout the 

 drier parts of Africa from Senegambia and the Upper Nile south- 

 wards. It is also met with in Southern Arabia, and is stated to have 

 wandered into Southern Spain, but does not occur in the tropical 

 portion of the West Coast of Africa. 



Within our limits it appears to be common during the rainy 

 season in the summer in parts of Griqualaud West, German South- 

 west Africa and Rhodesia, but is very rare south of the Orange 

 River and has not been noticed in Natal. 



The following are localities : Cape Colony— King Williams Town 

 (Trevelyan in Bt. Mus.), Spaldings, in Barkly, February, Makara 

 River, in Vryburg, January (Ayres) ; Transvaal — near Mooi River 

 in Potchefstroom dist., January (Ayres) ; Beehuanaland — Lake 

 Ngami (Chapman) ; Rhodesia — Matoppos (Albany Mus.), near 

 Salisbury, in summer (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — 

 Damaraland, in summer (Andersson), Reheboth, January, Doorn- 

 fontein, March (Fleck). 



Habits. — This Stork inhabits open grassy country near rivers 

 and swamps, and is generally met with in large flocks ; it is 

 specially fond of locusts, and is usually found in the neighbour- 

 hood of swarms of this insect, but it also devours beetles, small 

 reptiles, fishes and other animals. On hot days it often soars to a 

 great height above the ground, so that it becomes a mere speck in the 

 blue sky. 



It seems to be found in South Africa only in the summer months, 

 and has not been detected breeding ; but in Dongola and on the 

 Upper Nile it nests, according to Heuglin, in July and August 

 about the villages, and even on the straw huts of the natives. 

 Chapman remarks that the flesh of this Stork is very good eating, 

 but Ayres states the contrary. 



Genus II. DISSURA. 



Type. 

 Dissoura, Gab. Preuss. Staats Anz. Beilage, Sept. 1, 



1850, p. 1484 D. episcopus. 



Bill long, the culmen nearly straight, very slightly decurved 

 towards the tip ; sides of the face and throat feathered, except just 

 in front of the eye and on the space between the lower mandibles ; 

 neck covered with woolly down all round ; tail-feathers black, very 

 strongly graduated so as to form a deep fork, and exceeded in 



