100 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX. 



dragon of Bow Churcli, and remained there till the 

 steeple required repairs. In the gardens of two 

 noblemen in Curzon Street, Mayfair, a considerable 

 number of Books have built for many j-ears, and 

 these, probably, received an addition at the destruc- 

 tion of the Rookery in the gardens of Carlton 

 House," 



A colony of Rooks are still in possession of some 

 tall thin trees in a little back garden in Gower 

 Street, close to the Universit}^ ; and another colony 

 is established in a large tree in the Marylebone 

 Road, opposite Devonshire Place. 



'* At an old mansion not far from London, sur- 

 rounded by a number of very fine elms, a singular 

 mark of the sagacity of Rooks was recently observed. 

 Many of these trees had become very old, and it 

 Avas, therefore, determined to fell a few of them every 

 year, and plant young ones in their place. The 

 oldest of the trees were accordingly condemned to 

 be felled, and a portion of the bark taken off to indi- 

 cate those which were to come down. These trees 

 were soon forsaken by the Rooks, and it was subse- 

 quently observed that, immediately after any of the 

 other elms, were marked in a similar manner, the 

 Rooks at once forsook the trees, as if fully aware 

 that the removal of the bark was a notice to them 

 to quit." 



Dming the nesting season the male bird is very 

 attentive to the female, bringing her food of all sorts. 



