NOTES
THE STORKS
[Page 29]. On account of the ravages it makes among noxious animals, the stork is a privileged bird wherever it makes its home. In cities it is sometimes trained to act as scavenger. In Denmark, Holland, and Germany it is always a welcome guest. Boxes are placed upon roofs in the hope that nests may be made in them, for it is considered a sign of good fortune to have a stork's nest on one's roof.
The stork is noted for its great affection for its young and especially for the care it is said to give to its parents in their old age. It has no song, and is in no sense a bird to love, though it may become quite tame.
[Page 37]. The nurses in that country tell the children that the stork brings the little new babies.
THE WILD SWANS
[Page 56]. Fata Morgana (fä´ta môr gä´nä): a singular appearance, or phenomenon, similar to the mirage of the desert; images of objects distorted or multiplied into fanciful shapes. This phenomenon was so called because it was looked upon as the work of a fata, or fairy, called Morgana. The phenomenon has been remarked chiefly at the Strait of Messina, between Italy and Calabria.