100 
allen’s naturalists library. 
Nest. — Of considerable size, built of large and small sticks 
mixed, as Mr. Seebohm informs us, “ with lumps of earth and 
masses of decayed reeds ; it is very shallow, and is lined with 
softer materials of all kinds— dry grass, moss, hair, feathers, 
rags, bits of paper, wool, or anything it can pick up.” Incu- 
bation lasts about a month, and the young when newly 
hatched are clothed with down of an ashy-whitish colour, the 
bare spaces being at first very clearly marked. 
Eggs. — Three to five in number ; dull white and rather rough, 
with little gloss. Axis, 2’55-2’95 inches; diam., 2'o-2’i5. 
II. THE BLACK STORK. CICONIA NIGR.A. 
Ardea jiigra, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 235 (1760). 
Ciconia nigra, Macg. Brit. B. iv. p. 485 (1852); Dresser, B. 
Eur. vi. p. 309, pi. 406 (1873); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 
112 (1883); Seebohm, Br. B. iv.p. 529 (1884); Saunders, 
ed. Yarn I 3 r. B. iv.p. 225 (1884); id. Man. Br. B. p. 377 
(1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. part xx. (1891). 
Adult Male In Breeding-Plumage. — General colour above glossy, 
for the most part metallic-purple with green margins to the 
feathers, the green predominating on the neck and mantle and 
the lesser wing-coverts, the median and greater coverts more 
distinctly purplish but with bronzy reflections ; primaries black 
with a greenish gloss ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 
dusky-brown, with purplish edgings, becoming green on the 
latter; tail-feathers glos.sy purplish-bronze; crown of head 
dusky-blackish, glossed with green, especially towards the nape ; 
the neck all round green, with a strong gloss of purple on 
the hinder neck, and again on the lower throat ; sides of 
face and upper throat brilliant purple, with golden-bronze re- 
flections ; fore-neck and chest greenish, with a slight purple 
gloss ; remainder of under surface, from the chest downwards, 
pure white, including the axillaries ; under wing-coverts dusky 
slate-colour, with a slight gloss of green or purple; “bill, 
orbital space, and pouch coral-red; legs and feet coral-red, 
blackish on front of tarsi ; iris brown ” {A. O. Hume). Total 
length, 38 inches; culmen, 77 ; wing, 2i'S ; tail, 8-o ; tarsus, 
8 - 2 . 
