ö
W H I T E STORK.
Ciconia alba, Bechst.
WHITE STORK.
CICONIA ALBA, Beckstein.
Ciconia alba, Bechstein, Naturg. Deutschl. iii. p. 48 (1793);
Naum. ix. p. 231; Macg. iv. p. 481; Hewitson, ii. p. 317;
Yarr. ed. 4, iv. p; 219; Dresser, vi. p. 297.
Cigogne, French ; Storch, German; Ciguefia, Spanish.
Although there is, as I believe, no authentic record
of the nesting of this very handsome bird in our country,
it would seem probable, from the frequency of its visits,
especially to our eastern counties, that if unmolested
the White Stork would become as regular a breeder in
England as it now is in the Netherlands and many
districts of Central Europe. But, alas ! collectors of,
and dealers in, so-called British birds have, with a few
most honourable exceptions, no mercy when a comparatively
scarce bird is to be obtained, and the misguided
Storks that visit us, deluded perchance by the security
from human persecution that they have enjoyed for
generations amidst our continental neighbours, fall easy
victims to the armed “ loafers ” who infest our coasts
and unpreserved marsh-lands. In Holland especially,
but by no means there only, the White Stork is protected