Storeys of Old.

In his Treatise on Heraldry, vol. 1., p. 274, Dr. Woodward says, concerning the heron, stork or crane, "it is seldom distinguishable in heraldic drawings." There is the coat of arms of the Oglander family, azure, a stork between three crosslets fitchee, or; - another ancient family, that of the Barons Dobrenzky bore azure, a stork proper, gules. Three cranes. argent, were the arms of the Scottish lords Cranstoun. "The crane," remarks Dr. Woodward," is usually represented standing on one leg holding in the claw of the other bent one a stone, called its 'vigilance,' from a fable that this was so held in order that the noise of its fall might awaken the bird if it fell asleep. This," continues the Doctor, " makes it a fitting canting charge for watcher." Several baronial families of this name bear argent, a crane sable, with its vigilance on a mount vert.

Argent, a crane (without the vigilance), or, is the coat of the lordship of Kranichifeld quartered by the Princes of Reuss. Kraanich of Strasburg bears the reverse.

Argent, a heron volante, in fesse azure, membered or, form the arms of Parlantes of Herondon; while families of Heron bear gules, a heron argent; argent a heron sable, and the reverse. The bird is the chief charge in several coats of the Spanish Garcias.

Storks are looked upon with great reverence all over Turkey, and in nearly every Turkish village they are allowed to build their nests on the house tops, and are never driven away, as they are supposed to bring luck to the inhabitants. Strange stories are often related by Turks about these birds, but the strangest and prettiest took place a few years ago at Jouzla, a large village on the Marmora, near the entrance to the Gulf of Ismidt, and a short time ago nearly the whole place was destroyed by fire. As soon as the fire broke out and the houses began one by one to burn. all the storks, terrified and suffocated with the smoke shot straight up into the air in great distress, and hovered over their nests with piercing cries of anguish and great flapping of wings. They left their young behind them in the nests, but seeing that no one was coming to rescue the nests, and that they could do nothing themselves to save the baby storks, they all with one accord flew back to their nests and, spreading out their wings, covered their young and were burnt to death. This very pathetic and tragic incident was seen by all the villagers, who, in spite of their own distress at being burnt out of hearth and home, stood in awe and watched this wonderful behaviour of the storks and their devotion to their offspring. Storks will now be held more than ever in reverence by the peasants of Turkey.

The foregoing came as a telegram on July 20th, 1902, to the London Morning Leader. It was headed "A touching Stork Story."

In Notes and Queries for March 11th, 1882, a contributor, "E.F.B.," quotes from Udall's "Translation of Erasmus," showing the filial affection of the juvenile storks for their parents. Indeed, there is a kind of paraphrase on the New Testament remarks upon the duty of children to their parents, illustrated by the filial regard evinced by the young storks for the old ones. The Greek name for stork denotes "strong natural affection." Beaumont the poet refers to the love of the young storks for their parents.

Again, in Notes and Queries for June 3rd, 1882, attention is called to the filial affection of the stork by another contributor, Mr. William Platt, of Callis Court, St. Peter's, Isle of Thanet. The writer quotes from "The Magic of Kirani, King of Persia, and of Harpoeration" (printed in 1685). Herein it is observed how storks when old and blind are fed by their young, also that when too feeble to move, the parent storks are carried by their young on their backs from place to place as may be necessary.