THE STORK. 
323 
hatched, than the male bird, apparently perceiving the 
difference, rose from the nest, and flying round it several 
times with loud screams, disappeared, and was not seen again 
j for three days, during which time the female continued to 
tend her adopted offspring as usual. Early on the fourth 
morning, however, the inmates of the house were disturbed 
by hearing loud and discordant cries in the field fronting the 
jl house, where they perceived about five hundred Storks 
assembled in a dense body, and one standing about twenty 
yards before the rest, apparently haranguing its companions, 
> who stood listening, to all appearance, with great emotion — 
when this bird had concluded, it retired, and another took its 
i place, and seemed to address them in a similar manner. 
This proceeding and noise was repeated by several successive 
birds, until about 11 o’clock in the forenoon, when the 
whole flock simultaneously arose in the air, uttering dismal 
cries. The female was all this time observed to remain on 
her nest watching their motions with apparent trepidation. 
In a short time the body of Storks made towards her, headed 
by one bird supposed to be the mate, who struck her vehe- 
mently three or four times, and knocked her out of the nest, 
the whole mass then followed up the attack, until they had 
not only destroyed the female Stork (who made no attempt 
either to escape or defend herself), but the young Gosling, 
and utterly removed every vestige of the nest itself. Since 
that time, about five years ago, no Stork has been known to 
build, or even been seen in that neighbourhood. The person 
who stated this singular anecdote was a gentleman of un- 
doubted veracity, who had been visiting at the house, and 
seen the preserved remains of the dead Stork and Gosling. 
It may be added, that in the part of Germany where this 
occurrence took place, there is a superstition prevalent, that 
a Stork never builds on a bad man’s house, and to such an 
extent is this notion carried, that if a man were suspected, 
even of murder, the people could scarcely be induced to bring 
him before the magistrates, if a Stork was known to build on 
his house. This is mentioned as one amongst other reasons 
y 2 
