CHAPTER XI 

 Watching Rooks — continued 



Continuing my journal, I win now give extracts 

 which illustrate, principally, the return home of the 

 rooks at night and their flying forth in the morning — 

 those two aspects of their daily winter life which are 

 the most full, perhaps, both of interest and of poetry. 



'' December gih. — This afternoon at about 3.30 I find 

 vast numbers of rooks gathered together on a wide 

 sweep of land, close to their roosting-place. 



" Even now — and they are being constantly rein- 

 forced — they must amount to very many thousands, 

 and cover several acres, in some parts standing thickly 

 together, in others being more spread out. There is 

 an extraordinary babble of sound, a chattering note 

 and the flexible, croodling one being conspicuous. 

 Combats are frequent — any two birds seem ready to 

 enter into one at any moment — and they commence 

 either, apparently, by sudden mutual desire, or else by 

 one bird fixing a quarrel on another, which he does by 

 walking aggressively up to him and daring him, so to 

 speak. In fighting they stand front to front, and then 



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