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Bible Encyclopedias
Stork
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (חֲסַידָה, chasidah; translated indifferently by the Sept. ἀσίδα ἔποψ, ἐρωδίος, πελεκάν; Vulg. herodio, herodius, milvus; A.V. "stork," except in Job 39:13, where it is translated "wing" ["stork" in the marg.]; but there is some question as to the correct reading in this passage). (See OSTRICH). In the following account we present the ancient and the modern information.
I. Identification of the Scriptural Allusions. — The Sept. does not; seem to have recognized the stork under the Hebrew term חֲסַידָה, otherwise it could scarcely have missed the obvious rendering of πελαργός, or have adopted in two instances the phonetic representation of the original ἀσίδα (whence, no doubt, Hesych. ἄσις, ειδος ὀρνέου ). It is singular that a bird so conspicuous and familiar as the stork must have been both in Egypt and Palestine should have escaped notice by the Sept., but there can be no doubt of the correctness of the rendering of the A.V. The Hebrew term is derived from the root חָסִד, whence חֶסֶד, "kindness," from the maternal and filial affection of which this bird has been in all ages the type.
There are two kinds of stork, the Ciconia alba, and the C. nigra. In Egypt the two species collectively are called anaseh, the white, more particularly, belari; in Arabic zakid, zadig (?), abuhist, heklek, hegleg, and haji luglug, the three last mentioned expressing the peculiar clatter which storks make with their bills, and haji, or pilgrim, denoting their migratory habits. This quality several of the Western names likewise indicate, while our word stork, albeit the Greek στοργή implies natural affection, is an appellation which extends to the Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, German, Hungarian, Lettish, and Wallachian languages, and is presumed originally to have been stor eger, i.e. migrating heron, with which the Greek agrees in sound but has no affinity of meaning, though it corroborates the interpretation of chasidah in the Hebrew, similarly implying affection, piety, mercy, and gratitude. This name results from a belief, general through all ancient Asia, in the attachment of these birds to each other; of the young towards the old, and of the parents towards their young. But the latter part of this opinion is alone verified by the moderns, in cases where the mother bird has perished while endeavoring to save her progeny. This occurred in the great fire at Delft, and more recently at the battle of Friedland, where, a fir tree with a stork's nest in it being set on fire by a howitzer shell, the female made repeated efforts to extricate her young, and, at length, as in the other case, was seen to sink in the flames. Without, therefore, admitting the exaggerated reports or the popular opinions of the East respecting the stork, enough is shown to justify the identification of chasidah with the bird, notwithstanding that some learned commentator have referred the word to heron, and to several other birds though none upon investigation are found to unite in the same degree the qualities which] are ascribed to the species in Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18; Job 39:13; Psalms 104:17; Jeremiah 8:7; Zechariah 5:9.
Agyst, the Russian (?) name of the stork according to Merrick, does not appear to be, related to the Hebrew, unless it could be shown that the Estonian aigr, or aigro, applied to the same bird, and the old Teutonic aigel, Danish hegre, Italian and Provencal arione, aigron, denominations of the common heron, are from the same source, and not primitive appellatives in the great Northern family of languages, which, it must be confessed, are not solitary examples in vocabularies so remote from each other. Of the smaller sized, more solitary, black stork, no mention need be made in this place, because it is evidently not the bird referred to in the sacred writers.
II. Description and Habits. —
1. Generally. — Storks are about a foot less in height than the crane, measuring only three feet six inches from the tip of the bill to the end of the toes, and nearly the same to the end of the tail. They have a stout, pointed, and rather long bill, which, together with their long legs, is of a bright scarlet color; the toes are partially webbed, the nails at the extremities flat, and but little pointed beyond the tips of the joints. The orbits are blackish, but the whole bird is white, with the exception of a few scapulars, the greater wing covers, slid all the quills, which are, deep black; these are doubly scalloped out, with those nearest the body almost as long as the very foremost in the wing. This is a provision of nature enabling the bird more effectually to sustain its after weight in the air a faculty exceedingly important to its mode of flight, with its long neck and longer legs equally stretched out, and very necessary to a migrating species believed to fly without alighting from the Lower Rhine, or even from the vicinity of Strasburg, to Africa, and to the Delta of the Nile. The passage is performed in October, and, like that of cranes, in single or in double columns, uniting in a point to cleave the air; but their departure is seldom seen, because they generally start in the night; they always rise with clapping wings, ascending with surprising rapidity out of human sight, and arriving at their southern destination as if by enchantment. Here they reside until the last days of March, when they again depart for the north, but more leisurely and less congregated.
A feeling of attachment, not without superstition, procures them an unmolested life in all Moslem countries, and a notion of their utility still protects them in Switzerland, Western Germany, and particularly in Holland, where they may be seen (at Middelburg) walking with perfect composure in a crowded vegetable market. Storks build their nests in pine, fir, cedar, and other coniferous trees, but seem to prefer lofty old buildings, towers, and ruins there are always several located on the tops of the isolated pillars at Persepolis; and they often obstruct the muezzins by nestling in their way about the summits of the minarets which these servants of the mosques must ascend to call the congregation to prayer. Several modern writers still assert the filial affection of young storks, which they describe as assisting their aged parents when they cannot any longer fly with vigor, and as bringing them food when unable to provide for themselves. Without entirely rejecting the fact of affectionate relations among these birds, it may be remarked that storks live to a good old age; and as they have a brood (sometimes two) every year, the question is, which of these takes charge of the decrepit parents? It cannot be the youngest, not as yet of sufficient strength, nor those of preceding years, which are no longer in their company. Besides, the weaker birds remain and breed in the south.
May it not be conjectured that much of this belief is derived from a fact which travelers have had an opportunity of witnessing, though they could not distinguish whether the flight was composed of cranes or storks? On an exceedingly stormy day, when their southward course has been suddenly opposed by a contrary gale, may be seen a column of birds still persisting in their toil but at a lower elevation, and changing their worn out leader; and the bird, on taking his station in the rear, is clearly attended for a moment by three or four others of the last, who quit their stations as of to help him to reach the wake of the line. With regard to the snake-eating habits of the species, the marabou, or adjutant bird of; India, often classed with storks is undoubtedly a great devourer of serpents, but not so much so as the common peacock, and that domestic fowls are active destroyers of the young of reptiles may be observed even in England, where they carry off and devour small vipers. The chief resort, however, of storks, for above half the year, is in climates where serpents do not abound; and they seem at all times to prefer eels, frogs, toads, newts, and lizards, which sufficiently accounts for their being regarded as unclean (perhaps no bird sacred in Egypt was held clean by the Hebrew law). Storks feed also on field mice; but they do not appear to relish rats, though they break their bones by repeated blows of their bills.
2. Distinctively. — The white stork (Ciconia alba, L.) is one of the largest and most conspicuous of land birds standing nearly four feet high, the; jet black of its wings and its bright-red beak and legs contrasting finely with the pure white of its plumage (Zechariah 5:9," They had wings like the wings of a stork"). It is placed by naturalists near the heron tribe, with which it has some affinity, forming a connecting link between it and the spoonbill and ibis, like all of which, the stork feeds on fish and reptiles, especially on the latter. In the neighborhood of man it readily devours all kinds of offal and garbage. For this reason, doubtless, it is placed in the list of unclean birds by the, Mosaic law (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18). The range of the white stork extends over the whole of Europe, except the British isles, where it is now only a rare visitant, and over Northern Africa and Asia, as far at least as Burmah.
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