The Stork

The stork is about a yard long from its head to the end of the tail; its color is white, exceptingsome of the great quill feathers, which are black. Its nest is large and flat, and made mostly ofsticks; the eggs are about as large as those of a goose, and a little yellowish.

It does not sing; the only noise it makes is by striking one part of its bill upon the other. While itis sleeping it stands on one leg, with its neck bent backward, and its head resting between itsshoulders. The Jews were forbidden by God to use the stork for food; perhaps this was becauseit lives upon such animals as frogs, fishes and serpents.

The stork is a bird of passage; it spends the summer in Holland and other countries in the northof Europe, but flies to a warmer climate before cold weather comes. They seem to have a kindof agreement among themselves about starting on these long journeys; and for a fort-night beforethey are ready, they may be seen collecting in great numbers-then all take to their wings at once. This explains a verse in the eighty chapter of Jeremiah, "The stork in the heavens knoweth herappointed times;" that is, her times of going to a warmer climate or returning.

After the winter has gone, the storks fly back to their summer home, and very often take their oldnests again. In Europe, these are generally made on the tops of houses or old chimneys, and thebirds are so gentle and harmless that the people never disturb them, but are glad to see themcome back. In some countries the roofs of the houses are flat, and the people walk and sleep onthem; in these places the storks often build their nest on the flat branches of some spreading tree. In the 104th Psalm we read, "As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house."

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