BIRDS of this species may, for the most part, be distinguished by the length of their legs and bills, the latter of which are possessed of great sensibility near the point, and even furnished with nerves, for the better feeling their food at the bottom of marshes, where it cannot be seen. None af them have been taken under the protection of man; but they lead a life of precarious liberty, in fens and marshes, at the edges of lakes, and along the seashore. These cannot, strictly speaking, be called either land birds or water-fowl; as they derive all their sustenance from watery places, and yet are unqualified to seek it in those depths where it is found in the greatest plenty.

The above bird measures about three feet and a quarter in length and three feet in height, with a neck proportioned to the length of its legs. The top of the head is covered with black bristles; and the back of it, which is bald and of a red colour, distinguishes it from the stork, to which it would otherwise bear a very near resemblance, The plumage is generally ash coloured: and from the pinion of each wing, grow two large tufts of feathers finely curled at the ends; which the bird can erect or depress at pleasure.

The arctic regions seem to be the favourite abode of these birds: for although they are found in most parts of

Europe, except Great-Britain, they may be considered as visitants rather than inhabitants; as they migrate from one part to another, and seem to follow the seasons. As they rise but heavily, they are extremely shy, and seldom let the fowler approach them. Their depredations are usually made in the night, when they will enter a field of corn, and trample it down, as if it had been crossed over by a regiment of soldiers: on other occasions they choose some extensive solitary marsh, where they range themselves all day, as if they were in deliberation; and not finding that grain which is most suitable to their appetites, they wade the marshes for insects and other food, which they can procure with less difficulty and danger.-The female lays two eggs, about the size of those of a goose, but of a blueish colour. The young ones may be easily domesticated, which experience has proved.

THIS bird is much larger than the former; measuring from tip to tip of the wings, nearly fifteen feet. The bill is of a vast size, nearly triangular, and sixteen inches round at the base: the head and neck are naked, except a few straggling curled hairs. The feathers of the back and wings are of a blueish ash colour, and very stout;

those of the breast are long. The craw hangs down the fore part of the neck like a pouch. The belly is covered with a dirty white down; and the upper part of the back and shoulders are surrounded with the same. The legs

and half the thighs are naked; and the naked parts are full three feet in length.

This bird is an inhabitant of Bengal and Calcutta, and It arrives in is sometimes found on the coast of Guinea. the internal parts of Bengal before the period of the rains, and retires as soon as the dry season commences. Its aspect is filthy and disgusting, yet it is one of the most useful birds of those countries, in clearing them of snakes and noxious reptiles and insects. It seems to finish the work begun by the jackall and vulture: they clearing away the flesh of animals, and these birds removing the bones, by swallowing them entire. They sometimes feed on fish: and one of them will generally devour as much as would serve four men.

Gigantic cranes are found in companies; and when seen at a distance, near the mouths of rivers, coming towards an observer (which they do with their wings extended) it is said that they may easily be mistaken for canoes on the surface of a smooth sea; and when on the sand-banks, for men and women picking up shell-fish on the beach.

Of this bird we shall confine ourselves to the most remarkable species, which is the white stork, the length of

which is about three feet. The bill is nearly eight inches long, and of a fine red colour: the plumage is wholly white; except the orbits of the eyes, which are bare and blackish; some of the feathers on the side of the back, and on the wings, are black: the skin, the legs, and the bare parts of the thighs, are red.

The white stork is semi-domestic; haunting towns and cities, and in many places stalking unconcernedly about the streets, in search of offal and other food. They re

move noxious filth, and clear the fields of serpents and reptiles. On this account they are protected in Holland, and held in high veneration by the Mahometans; and so greatly were they respected in times of old by the Thessalonians, that to kill one of these birds, was a crime expiable only by death.

The disposition of this bird is mild, neither shy nor savage; it is easily tamed, and may be trained to reside in gardens, which it will clear of insects and reptiles. It has a grave air, and a mournful visage: yet, when roused by example, it shews a certain degree of gaiety; for it joins the frolics of children by imitating them.

Storks are birds of passage, and observe great exactness in the time of their autumnal departure from Europe to more favourite climates. They are seldom seen farther north than Sweden: and though they have scarcely ever been met with in England, they are so common in Holland, as to build every where on the tops of the houses, where the good-natured inhabitants provide boxes for them to make their nests in; and are careful that the birds suffer no injury, always resenting this as an offence committed against themselves. Storks are also common at Aleppo, and in plenty at Seville, in Spain. At Bagdad, hundreds are said to be seen about the houses, walls, and trees; and at Persepolis, or Chilmaner, in Persia, the remains of the pillars serve them to build on, every pillar having a nest on it.

This bird bestows much time and care on the education of its young, and does not leave them till they have sufficient strength for defence and support. When they begin to flutter out of the nest, the mother bears them on her wings; she protects them from danger, and will sometimes perish rather than forsake them.

In autumn they retire into Egypt, and the marshes of Barbary, where they enjoy a second summer, and bring up a second brood.

THIS bird is remarkably light in proportion to its bulk; seldom weighing more than three pounds and a half, although it expands a breadth of wing not less than five feet. Its bill is five inches, from the base to the point; and its claws are long, sharp, and formidable: but though it appears thus completely armed for war, it is indolent and cowardly, and even flies at the approach of a sparrowhawk. In fresh water, however, it is a perfect tyrant, and there is scarcely a fish, however large, that it will not strike at and wound, though unable to carry it away: but it subsists chiefly on the smaller fry, of which it devours immense quantities.

These birds live chiefly among pools and marshes, and commit their depredations in solitude and silence; yet in making their nest, they are seen, like rooks, building in company with flocks of their own kind. Their nests are made of sticks, and lined with wool; and the female lays four large eggs of a pale green colour. When the young are excluded, as they are numerous, voracious, and importunate; the parents are for ever on the wing, to satisfy their cravings: and the quantity of fish they take upon this occasion is truly surprising.

This bird, though it usually takes its prey by wading into the water, frequently also catches it while on the wing; but this is only in shallow waters, where it is able to dart with more certainty than in the deep; for in this case, though the fish does, at the first sight of its enemy, descend, yet the heron, with its long bill and legs, instantly pins it to the bottom, and thus seizes it securely.