y"^ Northern Observations of Inland Birds 



or two, and instantly stabs his beak into the ground, 

 producing a fat worm which he either swallows or mangles 

 so that it cannot escape. Other sounds in the vicinity, 

 such as the passing of heavy traffic or of labourers at 

 work, do not seem to detract from the bird's power of 

 concentrating his senses on the one minute sound of 

 the worm in the earth, and though it may be argued 

 that the bird is watching, not listening, I do not believe 

 that this is the case, for often he makes his pounce upon 

 an insect which, from his low point of observation, 

 could not possibly have been visible. 



Rooks are among the most interesting and cunning of 

 our garden birds, and consequently many tall stories 

 have been told about them, which has had the unfortunate 

 result of making one somewhat sceptical as regards 

 rook stories. The following anecdote, however, was sent 

 me by an old lady residing in Edinburgh, whose veracity 

 is unquestionable. A rook, which possessed a deformed 

 beak, appeared in her garden, and on account of its 

 deformity it had, in all probability, been driven out of 

 its colony. It was fed and cared for, and so attached 

 itself to the grounds, and became very tame. Spring 

 came, and one day the bird appeared with a mate — 

 evidently a hen bird — which event met with the dis- 

 approval of the colonists, for a few mornings later a 

 large number of rooks were seen in the garden 

 accompanying the two outsiders. They seemed in a 

 great state of agitation, and were quite clearly endeavour- 

 ing to induce the hen bird to return to the rookery. 

 She, however, refused to go, and at the time I received 

 the anecdote she was still sticking faithfully to her husband 

 in spite of the strong disapproval of her own people. 



Within my own experience I have had ample proof 

 that rooks recognize Sunday as a day when shot guns 

 are laid aside. Above my home in Yorkshire a farmer 



