190 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



white, with rather glossy surface and deeply pitted. Average of 

 103 eggs, 73.2x51.8. Max. : 81.5x46.5 and 71.7x55.7. Min. : 

 65.6x49.6 and 81.5x46.5. Breeding -season. — In Mediterranean 

 region, from end March and early April, but in central Europe about 

 end April or early May. Incubation. — By both sexes, but far 

 greater part by hen (Rohweder) ; period probably averages 30 days, 

 but 28 to 38 days on record. Single brooded, but has attempted 

 to breed in autumn. 



Food.— Frogs and tadpoles in great numbers, also newts, lizards, 

 blind worms, snakes, fish of various kinds, worms and leeches ' T 

 also insects chiefly coleoptera (especially water -beetles and cock- 

 chafers), orthoptera (mole-crickets, locusts, grasshoppers, etc.), 

 odonata, etc. Mollusca are occasionally taken, also young of 

 many species of birds which breed on ground, and at times small 

 mammals, such as mice or moles, young rabbits or very small hares. 

 In Africa, on migration, locusts largely eaten. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Vagrant. Over thirty East Anglia 

 and several others in various parts of southern half of England, but 

 very rarely in west, a few Scotland, and three or four Ireland. Most 

 in spring. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — -Europe from Sweden to Spain (but 

 absent from France except in north-east) and north-west Africa 

 (Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and west Africa (Gold Coast, according 

 to Boyd Alexander), Asia Minor and Palestine, west and central 

 Asia. Migrating southwards in winter to central and south Africa 

 (said to have bred, but confirmation necessary), and in India to 

 Ceylon (said to have bred, but confirmation required). Casual 

 Madeira and occasional Canaries. Replaced by allied race in east 

 Asia. 



CICONIA NIGRA 



271. Ciconia nigra (L.)— THE BLACK STORK. 



Ardea nigra Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x ,i, p. 142 (1758 — North Europe). 

 Ciconia nigra (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 225 ; Saunders, p. 389. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Upper-breast, belly, under tail-coverts and axillaries white ; rest 

 of plumage black, glossed on sides of head and base of neck red- 

 purple, on top of head, rest of neck, mantle and lesser wing-coverts 

 purple and green, rest of upper -parts same but gloss less rich ; 

 upper tail-coverts and tail more brownish -black ; feathers of neck 

 and lower -throat longish but not so narrow as in White Stork. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult in May and June and 

 one example moulting body Nov., but material insufficient to 

 determine extent of period. 



Nestling. — (Not examined . ) 



Juvenile. — As adult but head, neck, throat and upper-breast 



