A traveller in Russia tells us the following curious story: He was one
evening riding near a village, when he saw a number of people in a
field assembled round some object. He went to the spot, and saw two
storks lying dead upon the ground. One of the bystanders said that the
storks had a nest in the field, and that, not long before, the hen
bird, who was sitting, left the nest in search of food. During her
absence, a species of hawk very common in the country, seeing the eggs
unprotected, pounced upon them and sucked them. A short time after
this, the male bird, who had been away for food, returned, and finding
the eggs destroyed, he threw himself down upon the shells, and gave way
to every demonstration of grief.
In the mean time, the female returned, and as soon as he observed her,
as if to reproach her for leaving the nest, he ran up and attacked her
with his beak, and, seizing her between his claws, soared up with her
to a great height. He then compressed his own wings, and both falling
to the ground together, were instantly killed!
The Penny Magazine gives us the following story: "On the day of the
memorable battle of Friedland, a farm in the neighborhood of the city
was set on fire by the falling of a bomb. The conflagration spread to
an old tree in which a couple of storks had built their nest. The
mother would not leave this until it was completely devoured by flames.
She then flew up perpendicularly, and dashed down into the midst of the
fire, as if endeavoring to rescue her precious charge from destruction.
At last, enveloped in fire and smoke, she fell into the midst of the
blazing embers, and perished."