1887-88.] The Rook. 123 



blades of young wheat strewn all around. On minute exami- 

 nation, however, I observed that the blades which had been 

 pulled up corresponded with a considerable number which 

 were not so bright in colour as healthy plants are, and digging 

 one up with my knife, I discovered a small grub adhering to 

 the root. On opening the gizzards of both birds, I found a 

 large number of grubs, while no traces of wheat or green 

 blades were discernible. 



Another illustration in point. During the protracted 

 drought of last summer, a blight seemed to come over a large 

 quantity of onions in a market-garden at Craigmillar. The 

 plants at first became slightly discoloured, and eventually 

 withered away. My attention was called to the circumstance 

 that the market-gardener was having his onions pulled up 

 and eaten by the rooks. I felt that while it might be true 

 that the onions were being pulled up, I was at the same time 

 certain that it was not that they might be partaken of as 

 food. On visiting the spot, I at once observed that the 

 onions were blighted and fading away, as if they had been 

 sown where there was neither moisture nor soil. This at once 

 led to the solution of the difficulty, as, upon careful inspec- 

 tion, I found, as I had anticipated, that the onions were being 

 destroyed by grubs, which in incalculable numbers pervaded 

 the entire area on which they had been sown. It will thus 

 be seen that the object of the rooks in pulling up the plants 

 was to devour these pestilent insects, as not one of the 

 plants exhibited the slightest indication of having been par- 

 taken of. It was interesting to note the sagacity which the 

 birds displayed in pulling them up, as in no case did they 

 make a mistake, even when discoloration could not be dis- 

 covered by the human eye. It is needless to say that here, 

 as in the case of the wheat referred to, the rooks rendered a 

 valuable service to the farmer, and to society at large. It 

 will be evident that there is a danger of the interests of 

 the farmer being overlooked by superficial observers rushing 

 to hasty conclusions, as was the case of the grieve referred 

 to. As by scientific investigation many palpable mistakes 

 in agriculture are being discovered, so will the interests of 

 farmers and gardeners be promoted as the facts of natural 

 history become. more generally and accurately understood. 



