A SILENT BIED. 
171 
the cliurclies, and are held sacred ; and at Bagdad, Niebnhr 
observed a nest of this bird on the roof of a decayed 
mosque, and he tells us that hundreds of the birds are to 
be seen there' on every house, wall, and tree, quite tame. 
We are also told by Fryer, that they are so exceedingly 
numerous among the ruins of Persepolis, that the summit 
of almost every pillar' of those magnificent monuments of 
antiquity contains a Stork's nest. 
Generally speaking, the Stork is a remarkably silent 
bird; the only noise it ever makes, is a peculiar rattling 
with the bill, not unlike the sound of castanets. When 
irritated and in a state of agitation, the head is thrown back 
so that the lower jaw appears uppermost, the bill lies fiat 
on the back, and the two jay;s striking violently together 
produced this clattering noise. We do not learn that this 
is often heard in the night, although Southey, in his poem 
entitled ^ All for Love,' would lead us to suppose it to be 
so : — 
And now the Nightingale hath ceased 
Her strain, who all night long 
Hath in the garden rosier trilled 
Her rich and rapturous song. 
The Storks on roof, and dome, and tower, 
Forbear their chattering din, 
For now the motions and the sounds 
Of daily life begin. 
Before their autumnal departure from Europe, the Storks 
congregate in great numbers, and appear to hold consulta- 
tions among themselves, and then it is that they emit 
most loudly and continuously this chattering noise. Thomson 
has well described the preparations for and commencement 
of their fiight : — 
When the Rhine loses its majestic force 
In Belgian plains, won from the raging deep 
By diligence amazing, and the strong 
Unconquerable hand of liberty, 
The Stork assembly meet ; for many a day 
Consulting deep and various ; ere they take 
Their arduous voyage through the liquid sky. 
And now their route designed, their leaders chose, 
Their tribes adjusted, cleaned their vigorous wings ; 
