282 



After all the evidence seems very contradictory, 

 that is, if it is sought thereby to establish either one or 

 other of the two views. For my own part I think 

 Blackwell was right in his compromise. 



A correspondent of The, Feathered World (writing 

 over the initials J. B. W.), a few years ago contributed 

 some very interesting notes on these birds, having 

 been prompted thereto by a short account of the Rooks 

 in my garden which I had previously published in the 

 same paper. After stating that he has a powerful 

 telescope fixed on a stand in a window at the top of 

 his house and commanding the estuary of the Mersey, 

 and that opposite this window there is an old pasturage 

 of extensive acreage, he tells us that one day he saw 

 a Rook flying across this field with something large 

 and light-coloured in its beak. This Rook alighted at 

 the foot of an old thorn bush on the far side of the 

 field, and by the aid of the telescope his burden was 

 seen to be a large crust of bread. This he proceeded 

 to hide by digging a hole into which he dropped it, 

 afterwards covering it over with the torn up grass and 

 roots. The next day, while again amusing himself 

 with the telescope, the narrator saw two Rooks fly 

 across the field and go straight to the thorn bush. 

 They then immediately dug up the crust and ate it 

 between them. 



From this it would seem very clear that wild 

 Rooks do hide their food when they chance to get 

 hold of anything out of the common, and which is too 

 much for a single meal. But even here the evidence 

 is not conclusive, because J. B. W. had once kept a 

 tame or semi-tame specimen in his garden, which in 

 all probability was stiJI in the neighbourhood. Let 



