WATCHING ROOKS 277 



faced. The advantage was not followed up by the 

 successful bird, but the combat ceased, I think, in 

 consequence. 



" I now notice a hare a little on the outside of the 

 phalanx of rooks, at the part of it nearest to myself. 

 All at once he makes a little run towards them as if 

 charging them, and sits down, making one of their 

 first line, and almost, as it seems, touching two or 

 three. After sitting here for some while the hare 

 makes another little run, this time right in amongst 

 the rooks, several of which he puts up as though on 

 purpose — each of the birds giving a little jump into 

 the air with raised wings, and coming down again. 

 He then sits down as before, but this time all amongst 

 them. This he repeats several times, making little 

 erratic gallops through the black crowd, in curves to 

 one side and another, and appearing to enjoy the 

 fun of causing rook after rook to jump up from 

 the ground. Half-a-dozen times he runs right at a 

 rook that he might easily have avoided, and sits 

 down amongst them two or three times, again. At 

 last, in a final gallop, he pierces the squadron and 

 continues on, over the land. This certainly appeared 

 to me to show a sense of fun, if not of humour, on 

 the hare's part, and as — with a few noted exceptions 

 — it is the rarest thing to see one species of animal 

 take any notice of another, I was proportionately 

 interested. 



" It is now half-past four, and for about an hour the 

 great assemblage has been increased by a perpetual 

 stream of rooks, that sail up and descend into it with 

 joyous wheels and sweeps. For some time, too, flocks 

 of the birds have been flying from the ground into 



