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STORK There are seventeen species of stork. The painted stork is pink in his nuptial plumage. The milky stork woos with his large flat bill. The marabou offers her carrion, as does the adjutant. Due to irregular throat structure, storks have no voice; they strike their beaks together in lovesong. Newborns know to swallow the fish head-first. In the myth of the moon-bird, storks impregnate women. All storks adhere to serial monogamy. In the mating season, two species are migratory: the black stork who roosts in platforms in the forests of Poland; the familiar white stork ("good luck" in WesternEurope). They are surpassedin enduranceby none but the arctic tern. They travel a thousand miles to Africa. They soar on the thermal current. They precede the rainy season. They carry the unborn in from the marshland. If a stork nests in your chimney, a son will be born. If a stork nests in your chimney, your house will be empty. If a stork leaves the nest, that is an omen. If a stork leaves the nest forever, disaster will strike the area. If a stork's shadow falls on the rosebush, grief descends to the village. If a stork is damaged, the weather darkens. If you kill a stork, kinsmen surround you, clacking long sticks together like knives. 22 ...

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