[Illustration: BROAD-BILLED STORK OF AFRICA.]
The Common Stork has a long and straight bill, wide at the base, pointed
and sharp-edged; the legs are long and slender; the tail is short. They
are found in nearly all parts of the world. Some species migrate with
regularity, being admirably constructed for traveling long distances;
for, although their bulk seems great, their weight is comparatively
small, as most of their bones are hollow. In their migratory journeys,
which occur principally by night, they fly in continuous or angular
lines.
Storks prefer moist swampy localities, as they feed principally on
Reptiles, Batrachians and Fishes; but small Birds and Mammalia,
Molluscs, Worms, Insects, even Bees are not refused by them, or carrion,
and other impurities. Their manner is slow and grave; they never appear
in a hurry. On the wing they resemble crosses, from their manner of
carrying the head and neck. They have no voice, and the only noise they
make is a cracking, which results from one mandible striking against the
other, and which expresses either anger or love; it is sometimes very
loud. They lay from two to four eggs. The duration of their life is from
fifteen to twenty years.
There are several species of Storks, the most important being the White
Stork. It measures about forty inches in height; its plumage is white;
the wings are fringed with black. This is the species best known in
Europe. Holland and Germany are its favorite residences. It is very
common in the warm and temperate parts of Asia. In the month of August
it leaves Europe to visit Africa, from whence it returns in the
following spring. This migration is not caused by temperature, as the
Stork can bear severe cold. No, it is a mere question of sustenance;
for, feeding as it does principally upon reptiles which remain in a
complete state of torpor during our winters, it is naturally compelled
to seek its food elsewhere.
The Stork is of a mild nature, and is easily tamed. As it destroys a
host of noxious creatures, it has become a useful helper to Man, who,
not ungrateful, gives it protection. In ancient Egypt it was venerated
on the same score as the Ibis; in Thessaly there was a law which
condemned to death any one killing these Birds. Even at the present day
the Germans and Dutch esteem it a fortunate omen when a Stork selects
their house for its home, and they even furnish it with inducements to
do so by placing on their roofs a box or wheel, which forms a foundation
for the Bird to build a nest, which it constructs of reeds, grass and
feathers.
The Black Stork is rather smaller than the White Stork; it is a native
of eastern Europe. It feeds almost exclusively on Fish, which it catches
with much skill. It is very shy; avoids the society of Man; and builds
its nest in trees.
The Argala, also called the Adjutant, is characterized by its very
strong and large bill, and the bareness of its neck, the lower part of
which is provided with a pouch somewhat resembling a large sausage.
According to Temminck, there is a notable difference between the Marabou
and the Argala, the characteristic mark of the latter frequently hanging
down a foot, while it is much shorter in the Marabou.
The Marabou inhabits India; they feed on Reptiles and all kinds of
filth, and this fact has been the means of securing for them the
goodwill of the people. In the large cities of Hindostan they are as
tame as Dogs, and clear the streets of every kind of garbage which
litters them. At meal times they never fail drawing themselves up in
line in front of the barracks, to eat the refuse thrown to them by the
soldiers; their gluttony is so great that they will swallow enormous
bones. At Calcutta they are protected by law, which inflicts a fine on
any one killing them.
The long white feathers, celebrated for their delicacy and airiness,
which are known in commerce by the name of Marabou feathers, come from
this Bird and the African Marabou. Consequently, in spite of their
ugliness, a good many are reared in a domestic state.
There are several other species which are allied to the Storks, and are
only distinguished from them by a slightly different form of the bill.
[Illustration: JABIRU.]
The best known among these are the Jabiru, which is a native of
Australia; the curious Broad-billed Stork of Africa, as illustrated
(with the White Storks and the Demoiselle Crane on the tree); the
Bec-ouvert, which inhabits India and Africa; the Drome, which is met
with on the shores of the Black Sea and Senegal; and the Tantalus, which
lives in the warm regions of both the Old and New World.