34 
HISTORY OF 
the white one, but it appears to be much more shy, seldom 
approaching the habitations of man, and delighting in large 
morasses, for an abode in which it is in every way fitted, being 
provided with the long legs of its genus, and semi-membrinated* 
toes. Temminck informs us, that it is never foun$ in Holland, 
but affects wooded morasses, and is often found in forests ; 
also, that it is very abundant in Hungary, Turkey, and Switzer- 
land, builds in forests, on the highest pines and fir trees, laying 
two or three eggs of a white colour, shaded with dirty green, 
and sometimes marked with a few brown spots. Willoughby, 
who appears to be the first author who gave the name of 
Ciconia Nigra to this bird, (although others have in modern 
catalogues obtained the honour, if an attempt to increase the 
confusion and number of synonyms can be called an honour,) 
gives the following account of a superstition which existed with 
regard to it, namely, that “it is said only to live in republics 
and free states ; but this,” he goes on to say, “ we found, by 
experience, to be false, observing them in the territories of some 
of the princes of Germany.” 
It is an old tradition with regard to Storks, that they take 
care of and nourish their parents when they are too old to take 
care of themselves, from whence the greek word, Trt\apyiKo<s, 
signifying the duty of children to take care of their parents, 
and TreXapyiKoi vopoi, signifying the laws relating to that duty, 
both derived from the greek word for a Stork, i reXapyoa, from 
7r£\a<T black, and apyocr white, alluding to the prevailing colours 
of the Stork. 
The whole of the plumage of the Black Stork, with the 
* In some works, the term semi-palinated is employed as applied 
to the toes of the Stork, which is certainly incorrect; we have therefore 
ventured to employ the term membrinated toes as applied to birds of 
the Duck species, and semi-membrinated to those of the Stork. 
