The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-23
STORKS OF TUE ORIENT.
Their Interesting Ways and Their
Care for Manned Comrade.

From the Presbyterian Banner.
When l went to the east in 1888 Com
modore Porter was our minister resi-
dent at the Sublime Porte. He was re-
siding at the time of my visit at San
Stefano, about ten miles west of Con-
stantinople, right on the shore of the
beautiful sea of Marmora. 1t was a
charming place for a war-worn veter-
an to enjoy the quiet evening of life
In all that region north of the sea of
Marmora, extending beyond the Balk-
an mountains to the Danube, the stork
is a faVorite bird. Along the north of
Marmora, where there are very few
tall trees, the stork builds its nest on
the tops of chimneys, which in the
east are always covered, the smoke
issuing from side windows or openings.
The nests are very rude in appearance,
about as large as a two bushel basket.
Sticks as large as your finger are skill
fully woven into them. They are mac
soft and nice with moss and cotton all
WOOL or whatever the skillful bird
thinks will make her parlor comforta-
BILE. The stork has two long legs, but
for some reason or other generally
stands upon one, the other drawn up
among his feathers. l think / have
river bank. each one standing on one
leg. When thus standing in repose it
is about threeefeet high, the chief part
OF the hight being leg and neck. 1t
stalks over the field with an awkward
gait, its neck alert, and it's lightning
stroke finishes the race of any snake,
lizard toad, bug or other "vermin" on
the ground. From kitchen refuse il Sc
lects what suits its taste and is bold in,
a haZ mt =
strange clatter of its broad, fiat bill is
indescribable. 1t seems to play rough
tunes to its mate.
Commodore Porter had a stork's nest
on the chimney of his kitchen, a build
ing separate from the house and con-
nected by a covered way The Chin
ney was tall, round like column and
very picturesque, covered by this rough
nest. The Commodore took great de-
light in watching the social life of
his storks, especially when they came
TO teach the youngsters to fly. The
young, awkward. long-legged thing
would stand on the rim of the nest and
flap its wings, but fear to launch away,
while the old storks would career
around and clatter their bills reprov-
ingly and coaXingly, but vainly. At
length, patience exhausted. an old
stork would give him a sudden push
and topple him off. He would then use
his wings TO purpose and the parent
birds would be filled with pride and
eXultation. II the untried wings show
ed signs of failure in returning TO the
nest one of the parent birds would
come beneath him and lift him with
powerful wings to a hight that would
make his return sure and easy.
Unhappily, one of the Commodore's
dogs who knew better. seized one of
the storks by the wing and injured IL
so that il dragged and, of course. the
bird could not fly The Commodore.
finding that the wing was only lacerat
ed. but not broken. bound IL up in
place, put the stork in a large cage
in the night and had il out to feed i'm
the day time. Its companions STAYED
by IL in anxious sympathy all the day.
and only when IL was housed would
they return to their nest. II seemed so
much like human sympathy that Com
modore Porter resolved that II good
feeding would save the wounded bird
he should be ready for the flight SOUTH
ward when all the storks would leave.
The stork at length began to use it's
wing for flying down. but Il was long
er In getting able TO rise even six or
eight feet and nothing would tempt IL