142 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



Jeremiah, where we read, " The Stork in the heaven knoweth 

 her appointed times." That phrase, "in the heaven," he 

 points out, is peculiarly one that fits the Stork. 



For not only does the Stork migrate from one country 

 to another at "her appointed time," going northward in 

 the spring and southward on the eve of winter, but, " unlike 

 most other emigrants, the Stork travels by day at a great 

 height in the air, and the vast flocks cannot but attract 

 notice." 



"The multitudes which arrive," he adds, "and the 

 suddenness with which these great birds distribute them- 

 selves over the whole face of the land, is, in Palestine, truly 

 startling. In winter not one is to be seen. On the 24th 

 of March vast flocks suddenly appeared, steadily travelling 

 northward, and leaving large detachments on every plain 

 and hill." 



These, he says, did not keep together like rooks, but 

 spread themselves , out as a search-party would do. And, 

 indeed, their business was searching — searching for food. 

 They did not get in one another's way, but each for himself 

 and by himself ransacked the fields and pools and marshes. 



There they stayed until, one would imagine, every un- 

 fortunate frog and hapless snake that had not learned to 

 keep in hiding had been gobbled up. Then the white- 

 winged invaders moved northward, " leaving behind them 

 only a pair here and there at the established nesting-places." 



It is good to know that later travellers have given as 

 good a report of the largeness of these Stork armies as 

 Canon Tristram gave in 1864. 



He tells us that " on Mount Nebo they so covered the 

 range that, until we had examined them through our 

 telescopes, we took them for vast flocks of Moabite sheep, 

 pasturing." 



