ROOK 283 



southeastern Texas (Orange) and northwestern Louisiana (Caddo 

 Lake). 



During some winter seasons the species may withdraw from the 

 northern parts of its range, but it is usually found at this season north to 

 Long Island. 



Casual records. — There are several records for Massachusetts, both in 

 coastal areas and in the Connecticut Valley. Most of these are in March 

 and April. Reported occurrences north of this State lack confirmation. 



Egg dates. — Connecticut: 23 records. May 5 to June 6; 11 records 

 May 10 to 15, indicating the height of the season. 



Florida: 7 records, April 6 to May 13. 



New Jersey : 106 records, April 29 to June 21 ; 54 records, May 12 

 to 22. 



Virginia: 50 records, May 4 to June 10; 25 records, May 14 to 

 June 10. 



CQRVUS FRUGILEGUS FRUGILEGUS Linnaeus 

 ROOK 



CoNTRrBUTED BY BERNARD WlLLI.^M TuCKER 

 HABITS 



The rook is admitted to the American list on the basis of an acci- 

 dental occurrence in Greenland. Schalow (1904) states that a male 

 was shot by Petersen on March 23, 1901, at Kungarsik, near Cape 

 Dan, on the east coast, and points out that as young birds are not 

 rare as vagrants in Ic.eland this example may be supposed to have 

 reached Greenland from there. This bird is stated to be preserved 

 in the Museum at Copenhagen. 



Few birds are more familiar in England than the rook, as might, 

 indeed, be inferred from the fact that the term rookery, applied to its 

 nesting colonies, is an everyday word in the English language and 

 has been adopted as the most natural term to apply to populous 

 breeding colonies of such different birds as penguins and seafowl and 

 even, rather oddly, of seals. Rooks are a part of the English landscape. 

 Their social habits and predilection for nesting close to human habita- 

 tions both help to make them familiar, and the bulky nests high in the 

 leafless tree tops of copse or hedgerow make the deserted rookery 

 in winter as conspicuous as it is in spring by reason of the bustle and 

 clamor of its inhabitants. 



The rook is primarily a bird of agricultural country with sufficient 

 trees to afford it nesting sites, but not too heavily wooded, for it feeds 



