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CICONIA NIGRA
Black Stork.
latitude than the Whit«*, visiting eyen llussia and Siberia, and passing over Sweden towards the north in considerable
num bers; but it seldom comes so far westward as England. In Eastern Europe it is frequently
met with; it is included by SMireuck among the birds o f Amoorland; it also inhabits North Africa, and
it is particularly abundant on the Nile, whence a fine specimen was brought to me by Mr. Cutbbert Larking.
The Ilev. H . B, Tristram states that it is found all through the winter in small flocks on the barren plains
by the Dead Sea, never visiting the upper country, and mentions that he met with a flock o f about two
hundred, apparently searching for food, in the barren salt plain close to the border o f that sea. They were
too wary to allow him to approach within shot, but did not fly far when disturbed. As well as he could
discover, they were feeding, on the small snails which cluster on the twigs o f the Salsola iu that arid region.
In the islands o f the Mediterranean it appears to be scarce; Mr. Wright notes it as rare at Malta and
Gozoj and Lord Lilford as being equally so in the Ionian Islands; Messrs. Elwes and Buckley state that it is
by no means numerous in Turkey, but th at a pair is found here and therfe in Bulgaria.
Unlike the White, the Black Stork shuns rather than courts the society of man, “ and,” says M r. Bennett,
“ makes its temporary dwelling in the most secluded spots, frequenting impenetrable morasses o r the banks
o f such rivers and lakes as ar'e seldom disturbed by the presence o f intruders, and building its nest on the
summits of the loftiest pines.” It would seem, however, that the situation o f the nest depends much upon
the n ature o f the locality; for Messrs. Elwes and Buckley state that in Bulgaria “ the nest is usually built in a
o f the low cliffs which flank the lateral valleys and occasionally the stream o f the Danube itself on the shore of
the same country, states th at they are favourite places for the larger birds of p rey ; hut not o f these alone, for
the Black Stork also breeds th e re ; “ a t least,” says he, “ we discovered one nest in a very peculiar position for
a bird which has the reputation o f breeding in the densest thickets of impervious morasses. The cliff in this
case was about sixty feet high, the strata being horizontal or nearly so. In the face o f the upper ledge there
had been a t some time, artificially excavated in the soft stone, a chamber having a sort, of antechamber, which
communicated by means of a couple o f steps with a crack in the rock, which it was hot difficult to reach from
die ».<>p »hen the exact path veas once known. The chamber itself had much the appearance o f a hermit’s
edB-, ‘itti-t ''V aperture in the face o f the cliff was the entire width of one side, the apartment was airv and
cheerful, a fcor view of the valley below. Altogether it was a place where one could have had no
objection to put up foe ft fit» days in case; o f necessity. Here it was that a pair o f Black Storks had takeu
up lodgings for the season, as we found out one rooming about the 27th of April. Some little time elapsed
before we discovered the entrance from the top, a fact o f which the Black Storks were probably not cognizant.
At the time o f our first visit there were no eggs, nor, indeed, was there any thing exactly worthy o f the name
o f a nest. But in the floor of the chamber was a circular depression about the size and shape of a large
dinner-plate, not far from the edge o f the aperture. For what purpose this depression, evidently artificial,
had been made, was to us as great a mystery a> the origin o f tlu* entire excavation. The Black Stork had
evidently thought she could put it to some tufe; for it was here, upon a few dry sticks which partially filled
the depression, th at she meant to lay her eggs. A* it was necessary for me to leave Turkey about the 4 th
o f May, it was agreed not to approach the p'tei.\- «gain till the day before my departure. In the interim I
used occasionally to take a stroll down the va&ey and seat myself on the opposite hill, where, through a
telescope, I could see the Black Stork sitihtg composedly on her make-shift o f a nest, looking like some
spirit o f darkness in its cave. Already I was counting the eggs, which would undoubtedly have been mine
but for the evil curiosity of a Transylvanian shepherd, who had noticed me spying into the hole, and had
perhaps seen us entering it. On the appointed day I rode over with a friend. Dismounting at the edge of
the cliff we crept down to the crack in the rock, and thence tbrongh the artificial passage into the chamber
itself. Neither bird nor eggs were visible; some great catastrophe had happened, and the eggs t had
counted on, though laid, were missing. It transpired that the Transylvanian had done the deed, having