the entire year; whilst those frequenting more northern latitudes
arrive with the Storks about March or April, and leave about August or
September. During the course of these wanderings, the British Islands
are occasionally, but rarely, visited. As with the Ibises, the migrating
flocks assume the form of two diverging lines, and usually travel in the
day, resting from time to time in such localities as afford a good supply
of food. The shores of rivers and lakes, marsh land, or slimy muddy spots
upon the coast are the favourite resorts of the Spoonbill, and around
these it is constantly to be seen stalking slowly, or wading with body
bent and bill waving from side to side as it searches amongst the mud, or
snatches from the water the fish, crabs, mussels, snails, small reptiles,
and aquatic insects on which it mainly subsists. This bird, however, has
a very decided preference for fish diet, and exhibits wonderful dexterity
in disposing of the slippery prey, even if five or six inches in length,
seizing and turning them adroitly in its beak, and swallowing them head
downwards. The entire day is passed in thus searching for food, with the
exception of a short time devoted to repose at noon; and at night it
retires shortly after sunset to sleep upon the branches, only resuming its
active labours at sunrise. Occasionally, but probably very rarely, it is
seen at work till a later hour. The flight of the Spoonbill is beautifully
light, and often performed in circles, or the bird assumes a hovering
motion, and flies with neck stretched directly forward, making rapid
strokes with its wings; the voice is quaking, and only audible at a short
distance. In disposition these birds are usually timid and cautious, but
if not molested soon acquire confidence. With their own kind they live in
the utmost harmony, and are constantly to be seen billing and arranging
each other's feathers, with every demonstration of sympathy and affection.
Even when excited by hunger they never actually quarrel; and appear almost
incapable of existing apart from their companions. During the breeding
season the same social disposition is also manifested, regular settlements
are formed, and as many nests as possible are placed close together on
trees; should the latter not be attainable, reeds are sometimes resorted
to for this purpose. The nest is broad, and carelessly constructed of
dry twigs and reeds, lined with leaves, rushes, or grass, and contains
from two to four large, thick-shelled, and coarsely-grained eggs, of a
lustreless, whitish hue, very variously spotted, and marked with pale
reddish grey and yellow. Both sexes probably brood and tend their young
with great care; the latter remain with their parents until after their
return from the winter migration, and do not commence the cares of a
family till they are three years old. The Spoonbill is readily tamed if
taken young, and soon accustoms itself to all kinds of nourishment; in
some countries it is still hunted on account of its flesh, which is not,
however, particularly well-flavoured.
* * * * *
The BOAT-BILLS (_Cancromata_) comprise two strange species, the one
occupying South America, the other a native of Africa, and both
possessing a very remarkable and powerful broad high beak, a muscular
body, moderately long, thick neck; long, broad, rounded wings, in which
the third and fourth quills exceed the rest in length, a moderate-sized,
straight tail, and long toes. The soft thick plumage forms a crest upon
the nape.
THE WHALE-HEADED STORK, OR SHOE-BEAK.
The WHALE-HEADED STORK, or SHOE-BEAK (_Balæniceps rex_), is recognisable
by its great size, heavy body, thick neck, large head, and the peculiar
form of its beak, which, in appearance, much resembles a wooden shoe.
In this bill the grooved upper mandible curves slightly inwards, and
terminates in a decided hook, whilst its lower portion is entirely covered
with a leathery skin. The legs are very long; the feet large, and the long
toes furnished with very powerful claws; the wings, which are broad and
long, have the third and fourth quills longer than the rest; the tail is
of medium size, straight, composed of twelve feathers, and the head is
adorned with a crest. The large-feathered, but soft plumage, of an ashy
grey. All the body-feathers are edged with grey, and those of the tail and
quills with greyish black; the eye is light yellow, the beak horn-grey,
and the foot black.
This remarkable species is extremely numerous on the marshy grounds
and rain-beds near the White Nile and the neighbouring streams, and is
especially common between five and eight degrees north latitude.
[Illustration: THE SPOONBILL (_Platalea leucorodia_). ONE-FIFTH NATURAL
SIZE.]
According to Mr. Petherick, who, in 1860, first brought the Shoe-beaks
to England, they are but rarely seen on the banks of the Nile itself,
as these, shelving off more or less abruptly, furnish few favourable
spots for indulging their propensities. Although occasionally seen in
the Bahr-il-Gagal, they prefer the natural banks of the morasses of the
interior, where the shallowness of the water, distributed over a large
surface, affords them greater facilities for procuring food. They are
usually seen wading about in pairs or parties, and, if disturbed, fly low
over the water, and settle at no great distance; but if really terrified,
or fired at, they rise in flocks, high into the air, and, after hovering
and wheeling around, settle on the highest trees, and as long as their
foes are in sight will not return to the water. Their roosting-places at
night are said to be on the ground. Their food consists principally of
fish and water-snakes, which they have been seen to catch and devour.
They will also feed on the intestines of dead animals, the carcases of
which they easily rip open with the strong hook of the upper bill. Their
breeding-time is in the rainy season, during the months of July and
August; and the spot chosen is among reeds or high grass, immediately
at the water's edge, or on some small elevated and dry spot, entirely
surrounded by water. The bird, before laying, scrapes a hole in the earth,
in which, without any lining of grass or feathers, the female deposits
her eggs. As many as a dozen have been found in the same nest. "Numbers
of these nests," says Mr. Petherick, "have been robbed by my men of
both eggs and young; but the young birds so taken invariably died. After
repeated unsuccessful attempts to rear them, continued for two years,
the eggs were eventually hatched under Hens, which were procured at a
considerable distance, from the Raik negroes. As soon as the Hens began to
lay, and in due time to sit, a part of their eggs were replaced by half
the number of those of the _Balæniceps_, as fresh as possible from the
nest, the locality of which was previously known, and several young birds
were successfully hatched. These young birds ran about the premises of
the camp, and, to the great discomfort of the poor Hens, would persist in
performing all sorts of unchicken-like manœuvres with their large beaks
and extended wings in a small artificial pool, constantly supplied with
water by several negresses retained for their especial benefit. Negro boys
were also employed to supply their little pond with live fish, upon which,
and occasionally the intestines of animals killed for our use, chopped
into small pieces, they were reared."
[Illustration: THE WHALE-HEADED STORK, OR SHOE-BEAK (_Balæniceps rex_).]
THE SAVAKU, OR BOAT-BILL.
The SAVAKU, or BOAT-BILL (_Cancroma cochlearia_), has a compact body, a
comparatively short strong neck, thick flat-crowned head, and an extremely
broad bill, which is longer than the head, much depressed and dilated
towards its middle. The culmen is prominently keeled with a deep lateral
groove, extending to the tip, which is acutely hooked; the nostrils are
placed in the lateral groove on the surface of the bill, their openings
are longitudinal, and partly covered by a membrane. The moderate-sized,
powerful wings have the fourth quill longer than the rest; the short broad
tail is composed of twelve feathers, and the long slender legs are clothed
almost to the knee; the soft streaming feathers upon the nape form a
plume; the cheek-stripes and a portion of the throat are bare; the broad
cheeks and fore part of the neck are white; the lower neck and breast
yellowish white; the back is light grey; the back of the neck and belly
are reddish brown, with black sides; the quills and tail-feathers are
whitish grey; the brown eye is edged with grey, and the brown beak has a
yellow margin to the lower mandible; the foot is of a yellowish shade. The
male of this species is twenty-two inches long and thirty-eight across;
the wing measures eleven inches and a half, and the tail four inches and
a half; the female is somewhat smaller than her mate; the plumage of the
young is at first entirely reddish brown, with the back of a deeper colour
than the under side.
This bird is an inhabitant of Brazil, where it frequents the reed or
bush covered banks of streams, and lives either solitary, or, during the
breeding season, in pairs, keeping principally amongst the thickest trees
or bushes, and hopping nimbly from branch to branch. Water insects of all
kinds probably afford it the principal means of subsistence, although
the stomachs of specimens examined by the Prince von Wied only contained
worms. We are unacquainted with the voice and other habits of this strange
bird, except that it occasionally produces a clapping sound with its bill,
after the manner of a Stork. The eggs of the Savaku are oval in shape,
pure white, and lustreless.
THE HAMMER-HEAD, OR SHADOW-BIRD.
The HAMMER-HEAD, or SHADOW-BIRD (_Scopus umbretta_), is an African
species, and represents a family possessing a compact, almost conical
body, short thick neck, comparatively large head, and broad, much-rounded
wing, in which the third quill is longer than the rest, and a medium-sized
tail, composed of twelve feathers. The high beak is longer than the head,
straight, compressed at its sides, and slightly bent at its tip. The feet
are moderate, with toes but slightly connected. The head is decorated with
a bushy crest, and the thick streaming plumage is of an almost uniform
umber-brown, with the under side of a lighter shade. The quills are glossy
and darker than the back, and the tail-feathers are enlivened by a broad,
purplish brown band at their extremities, and narrow irregular lines of
the same at their roots. The eye is dark brown, the beak black, and the
foot either black or blackish brown. The length is twenty and the breadth
forty inches; the wing measures eleven inches and two-thirds and the tail
six inches. The female differs in no respect from her mate.
This remarkable species inhabits all the central and southern portions
of the African continent, including Madagascar; and is also met with in
Southern Arabia, but is nowhere numerous.
"The Hammer-heads," says Layard "are strange, weird birds, frequenting
ponds, marshes, rivers, and lakes, flitting about with great activity in
the dusk of the evening, and preying upon frogs, small fish, and similar
fare. At times, when two or three are feeding in the same small pool,
they execute a singular dance, skipping round one another, opening and
closing their wings, and performing strange antics. They breed on trees
and rocky ledges, forming a huge structure of sticks, some of them of
considerable thickness. These nests are so solid that they will bear the
weight of a large heavy man on the domed roof without collapsing. The
entrance is a small hole, generally placed on the most inaccessible side.
The pure white eggs are from three to five in number. On my late friend
Jackson's farm, at Nels Poort, there is a singular rocky glen between
two hills. In this spot a beautiful permanent spring, called 'Jackal's
Fountain,' takes its rise. Of course, in consequence, there are a few
wild almond and other trees; indeed, the place is a little oasis amid the
barren mountains, and a favourite resort for hyænas, jackals, leopards,
and other wild animals. On the ledges of the rocks in this secluded spot
a colony of Hammer-heads have built for years. Some of the nests are
quite inaccessible, whilst others can be reached with a little trouble.
I counted six or eight within fifty yards, all exhibiting the same form
and structure, and some of them containing at least a large cartload of
sticks. About some that I visited I found brass and bone buttons, bits of
crockery, bleached bones, &c. Mr. Jackson told me that if a 'tottie' lost
his knife or tinder-box on the farm, or within some miles of the place, he
made a point of examining these nests, and frequently with success; the
occupants, like the Bower Bird of Australia, embellishing their dwellings
with any glittering or bright-coloured thing they can pick up. In the
karroo between Worcester and Robertson I saw a nest placed on the ground
on the side of a trifling rise; it was at least three yards in length,
by one and a half across, with a small entrance-hole at one end." From
Jules Verreaux we learn that these remarkable structures contain three
distinct chambers, the partitions of which are carefully formed, like
the outer walls, of twigs and clay most artistically worked together,
and entered by a hole just large enough to admit the body of the bird.
Of these compartments the hindermost is the largest, and so raised as to
remain dry should heavy rain penetrate the outer parts of the nest; so
excellently, however, is the entrance constructed, that such accidents
but rarely occur, or, if water should break through, are readily and at
once repaired. The large back chamber is covered with a soft bed formed
of various vegetable materials, for the reception of the eggs, which are
hatched by the united attentions of both parents; the centre apartment
serves as a pantry, and usually contains a goodly supply of provender;
while the small outer compartment is employed as a guard-room, from which
a strict watch is kept in case of approaching danger, the vigilant owner,
according to Verreaux, lying flat on the ground as he reconnoitres, and
keeping his head protruded through the entrance-hole. The young when first
hatched are almost naked, with but a very slight development of greyish
brown down. They grow slowly, and are tended with much affection by their
parents, who feed them principally at early morning and evening.
* * * * *
The STORKS (_Ciconiæ_) are stoutly-built birds, with thick beaks,
long legs, and short toes. The bill is long, straight, and conical,
occasionally slightly curved upwards, and compressed towards its tip; the
legs are long, powerful, and usually covered with scales; the toes are
short: of these the inner and centre toes are only slightly connected,
while the outermost and middle toes are united by a web as far as the
first joint; the claws are thick and stumpy. In the long broad wing the
third or fourth quill is longer than the rest. The short, rounded tail
is formed of twelve feathers. In some species the head and throat are
covered with long and narrow, and in others with short rounded feathers;
in others, again, these are scanty, and either almost hairy in texture,
or, as the birds increase in age, terminate in horny lancet-shaped points;
the rest of the plumage, which is formed of large compact feathers, is
occasionally glossy and beautifully coloured. All the various species
have the region of the eye and throat bare, in some this bareness extends
over the brow and cheeks. The sexes differ in size, and the young are
recognisable by the comparative paleness of their tints.
[Illustration: THE SAVAKU, OR BOAT-BILL (_Cancroma cochlearia_).
ONE-FOURTH NATURAL SIZE.]
The Storks are met with in almost every portion of the globe, and are
especially numerous in its warmest latitudes. Such as dwell in the north
migrate or wander to a very considerable distance, whilst the occupants
of southern countries are stationary. Everywhere they principally
frequent flat marshy localities, or the vicinity of rivers and streams,
occasionally appearing upon arid plains or cultivated ground in search of
grasshoppers and other insects. Well-wooded districts are for the most
part their favourite resorts, as they constantly select trees both for
breeding purposes and as resting-places for the night; some few species,
however, prove exceptions to this rule, and make their nests on roofs,
chimneys, or other elevated situations in the immediate vicinity of men.
All the various members of this group exhibit much similarity in their
mode of life and demeanour; they walk slowly and with a certain dignity,
keeping the neck gently arched, wade deep into the water, though they
rarely swim, and fly lightly, with neck and limbs stretched directly out,
at a considerable distance from the ground. The almost entire deficiency
of voice observable in these birds is supplied by a peculiar habit of
clapping loudly with the beak when excited. Some species of Storks
greedily devour carrion, and for this reason are regarded with much favour
by man; while all subsist in a great measure upon fish, reptiles, young
birds, small quadrupeds, worms, insects, and similar fare, and seek their
food during daylight. The nests, which are of great size, are formed of
dry branches, sticks, and such-like materials, lined with more elastic
substances. The large eggs, which are of uniform hue and few in number,
are hatched by the female alone; the male, however, is much attached to
his young, and tends his mate with exemplary care.
[Illustration: THE HAMMER-HEAD, OR SHADOW-BIRD (_Scopus umbretta_).
ONE-FIFTH NATURAL SIZE.]
* * * * *
The TANTALI (_Tantalus_) have a powerful beak, moderate-sized strong
neck, and rather large head. The beak resembles that of the True Stork,
but is thicker at its base, has its tip slightly hooked, and the margins
turned roundly inwards. The tarsi are high and powerful, and the long toes
broadly webbed; in the long broad wings the second quill exceeds the rest
in length; the tail is short, and the plumage thick, soft, and beautifully
coloured. The sexes differ in size, and the young do not resemble the
adult bird. These birds are usually classed with the Ibises, but in our
opinion their proper place is among the Storks.
THE IBIS-LIKE TANTALUS.
The IBIS-LIKE TANTALUS (_Tantalus ibis_) is a most beautiful bird, with
white plumage marked with deep rose-red on the wing-covers, and shaded
with rose-red on the back; the quills and tail-feathers are of glossy
greenish black. The eye is yellowish white, the beak of a waxy yellow, the
foot pale red, and the bare face cinnabar-red. The young are attired in a
garb of yellowish grey, with throat and mantle of a darker hue. The size
of this striking bird varies from thirty-four to forty inches, and its
breadth from sixty-two to sixty-seven inches; the wing measures eighteen,
and the tail six inches.
[Illustration: THE IBIS-LIKE TANTALUS (_Tantalus ibis_).]
The Ibis-like Tantalus is an inhabitant of Central Africa, from which
it occasionally but rarely wanders as far as Egypt or the coast. In
the region of the Blue and White Nile, on the contrary, it is often
numerously met with, and makes its appearance in company with the Ibis
and Little House Stork, remaining in Soudan during the rainy season, and
again disappearing. In August the plumage of this bird displays its full
beauty, and we may therefore infer that the period of incubation commences
about September. River-banks, or the immediate vicinity of streams, tanks,
and pools, are the localities it frequents, and in and about them it may
be seen at morning and evening wading in search of fish, reptiles, and
worms, or engaged in the capture of birds and small quadrupeds; about noon
it resorts to the trees and sand-islands in large flocks, or takes its
mid-day repose standing upright in shallow water. In all its movements the
Tantalus closely resembles the Stork, but owing to its superior beauty
of plumage, presents a more striking appearance when in the air. We are
without any particulars respecting the nidification of this bird, but
Jerdon informs us that a nearly-allied Indian species breeds in societies,
and forms large nests upon high trees; the three or four eggs have a white
shell, faintly spotted with yellow. Bodinus states that this bird has
the very peculiar habit of fishing for prey with the bill wide open, as
though it expected its victims to enter its jaws without further trouble;
according to the same authority it is by no means a greedy feeder, and
quite undeserving of its German name of the "Insatiable."
* * * * *
The TRUE STORKS (_Ciconia_) have a powerful broad-breasted body, rather
long muscular neck, moderate-sized head, and a long conical beak, which
has its margins turned decidedly inwards, and its entire surface covered
with a horny coat. The legs are long and bare, and the toes short and
broad; of these the centre and outer toe are connected as far as the
first joint. The very long, broad, and rather blunt wings have the third,
fourth, and fifth quills of equal length, and longer than the rest; the
rounded tail is composed of twelve feathers, and the thick glossy plumage
is of very uniform tint. These birds frequent the marshy districts
of Europe, and seek their food principally on the banks of rivers,
or in moist localities. Fishes, reptiles, and small birds constitute
their ordinary fare; but they occasionally frequent dry open plains or
cultivated grounds, in order to obtain grasshoppers, to which they are
extremely partial, and a variety of other insects. Their huge nest,
composed of sticks and twigs, is placed on buildings and tree-stumps.
Occasionally these enormous structures, which are employed and repaired by
many succeeding generations, are said to attain a height of four or even
six feet. The female alone carries on the work of incubation, although her
mate shares in her proverbial attachment to the little family.
"The Hebrew name for the Stork," says Dr. Tristram, "is derived from a
root signifying 'kindness,' from the devoted maternal and filial affection
of which the Stork has in all ages been held to be the type and emblem.
This maternal instinct implied in the Hebrew name is repeatedly noticed
by Greek and Latin authors, who believed further that the young repaid
the care of their parents, by tending them in old age, and, contrary to
the habits of all other animals, attended them through life. Though we
certainly have no proof of this rather pleasing conceit, the devotion
of the old birds to their offspring is very strongly displayed, and has
been corroborated by modern observation. The Stork has a very ardent
attachment to certain localities, and nothing but unremitting persecution
can drive it from a spot which has once been selected for a nest. Year
after year--indeed, generation after generation--a pair of birds return
every spring to the same place, and either rebuild or thoroughly repair
their old nest. If any accident happen to one of the pair, its place is
speedily supplied, and the succession of tenants maintained. The only
instance of a breeding-place having been deserted which ever fell under my
own observation was under curious circumstances. On the highest point of a
large mass of ruin, at Rabbath Ammon, were the remains of a deserted pile
of sticks, an old Storks' nest. One of the birds had got its leg entangled
and broken in a chink of the ruin, where it had perished miserably, and
its gaunt skeleton, with the pinion-feathers still remaining on the
wing-bones, swayed to and fro suspended in mid-air, and had effectually
scared all its fellows from the spot."
[Illustration: ADJUTANTS.]
THE WHITE OR HOUSE STORK.
The WHITE or HOUSE STORK (_Ciconia alba_) has its plumage of a dirty
white, with the exception of the quills and longest feathers on the
wing-covers, which are black; the eye is brown; the beak bright, and the
foot blood-red. This bird is forty-two inches long, and eighty-six across
the wings; the wing measures twenty-five, and the tail ten inches. The
female is somewhat smaller than her mate.
[Illustration: THE SIMBIL (_Spenorhynchus Abdimii_). ONE-FIFTH NATURAL
SIZE.]
The White Stork, though common in many parts of Central Europe, is now
but rarely seen in Great Britain, and is met with during its annual
migrations as far south as 13° north latitude. The multitudes of these
huge birds which arrive in Palestine at certain seasons, and at once
distribute themselves over the whole land, is truly startling, whilst in
winter not one is to be seen. "On the 25th of March," says Dr. Tristram,
"vast flocks suddenly appeared steadily travelling northwards, and leaving
large detachments on every plain and hill. From that period till about
the 4th of May they kept possession of the whole land, except where the
ground was utterly barren, abounding specially in any marshy plains. They
did not congregate like rooks, but like sheep or cattle scattered over a
wide pasture; they systematically quartered every acre of the country,
probably until they had cleared it of all the snakes, lizards, and frogs
they could find, when either scarcity, or the increasing heat of summer,
reminded them of their northern homes, and they withdrew as suddenly as
they had arrived, leaving behind them only a pair here and there at the
established nesting-places. They were equally abundant on both sides of
Jordan. On Mount Nebo they so covered the range that at first, and until
we examined them through our telescopes, we took them for vast flocks of
Moabite sheep pasturing. In the year 1858 I had observed them arrive on
the 22nd of March, just two days earlier. Their halt in Syria agrees with
the time of their arrival in Russia, which is said to be the beginning of
May." In Holland and Denmark they arrive about the middle of April. In
various parts of Holland the nest of the Stork, built on the chimney-top,
remains undisturbed for many succeeding years, and the owners return with
unerring sagacity to the well-known spot. The joy which they manifest
on again taking possession of their dwelling, and the attachment they
manifest towards their benevolent hosts, are familiar to everybody. In
all countries where the Stork breeds it is protected; boxes are provided
on the tops of the houses, and he considers himself a fortunate man whose
roof is selected for their residence.