On the poor wild birds.



179



It is practically certain that both the parents of these two young

grey Kooks were normal coloured birds, for had they been otherwise

I should have been sure to notice the birds, for their nests are only a

short distance from the windows of this house, and we had only about

thirty nests this year ; and, though I have no actual proof of the

fact, it is a moral certainty that both young birds came from the

same nest.


I have a strong suspicion that a mysterious bird which I saw

in the early summer of last year was a similarly coloured grey Rook ;

it was the size and had the dight of a young Kook, but in the distance

looked a very strange colour; I followed it for some little time,[but

could never get very near to it, and finally lost all trace of it.'^ Need¬

less to say, I shall keep a sharp look out for young grey Rooks next

breeding season !


Since I met with these two young birds I have been in corre¬

spondence with several ornithologists, and have searched all the bird

books I have access to, and apparently there is a record of a some¬

what similarly coloured bird which was obtained in 1816 (see

Stevenson’s ‘Birds of Norfolk,’ i, p. 277) ; this bird is described as

being mottled over with black; I should describe my bird as being

mottled over with dark grey rather than black. Mr. Whitaker, of

Rainworth, Notts, has a lavender-grey Rook in his collection,' but it

is without the very distinct mottled and barred appearance of my bird.

Of course, albino and pied Rooks are fairly common, and there is a

well-known variety of varying shades of brown, of which latter phase

of variation there is a very nice living specimen at the “ Zoo ” at the

present time.


THE POOR WILD BIRDS!


By Dr. A. G. Butler.


This is what our Editor wrote to me during the long frost in

January and February, and I hope all our members had similar kind

thoughts respecting our feathered friends, but sympathy should be

shown in deeds as well as in words, and therefore it is well to con¬

sider, when severe winter weather covers the earth with snow, how

to keep at least some of the birds in our neighbourhood from

starving.



