CORVUS FRUGILIGUS. 467 



devour, which are so destructive to young plants. That they do a certain 

 amount of mischief, especially in dry seasons, is true ; but they are often 

 mistakenly charged with eating the crops, while they are taking the best 

 possible means of protecting them. In illustration of this, some years ago, 

 in early spring, a farm grieve tried to stalk a flock of rooks which were 

 busy feeding on a field of grain. He requested me to shoot some of them 

 as they were 'playing the vera mischief wi' the wheat.' Concealing myself 

 behind a hedge, I asked him to startle them, which he did. I shot a couple 

 as they flew overhead. 'Man, that's grand,' he exclaimed, as he came 

 forward. 'I'll hing them up in the field to scaur ithers.' With the two 

 rooks in my hand, we walked to where they had been feeding. We 

 discovered numerous holes dug by their powerful beaks, and blades of grass 

 strewn all around. On minute examination, I observed that the blades 

 which had been pulled up corresponded with a considerable number not so 

 tiright in colour as healthy plants are; and digging up with my knife, I 

 discovered a small grub adhering to the root. On opening the gizzards of 

 both birds / found a large number of grubs, but no trace of ivheat or green 

 blades was discernible.'''' 



"anothkr word for the rook. 



" During the protracted drought of last summer a blight seemed to have 

 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 this, that the gardener had his onions 

 pulled up and eaten by the rooks. I felt certain that though the onions 

 might be pulled up, it was not to be eaten. On visiting the spot, I at once 

 saw that the onions were blighted, as if they had been sown where 

 there was neither moisture nor soil. This led to the solution of the 

 difficulty, for, as I anticipated, I found, upon careful inspection, that the 

 onions were being destroyed by grubs which, in incalculable numbers, 

 pervaded the entire area on which they had been sown. The object of the 

 rooks in pulling up the plants was to devour these pestilent insects, as not 

 one of the plants had the slightest sign of being touched for food. It was 

 interesting to note the sagacity the rooks displayed in pulling them up, as 

 in no case did they make a mistake, even when discoloration could not be 

 detected by the human eye — proof of their fine scent. As, by scientific 

 investigation, many palpable mistakes in agriculture are being discovered, 

 so will the interest of farmers and gardeners be promoted as the facts of 

 natural history become more generally known and more accurately under- 

 stood." 



To show their sense, rooks can count. A very large field was 

 sown with wheat and a hut erected in the centre to shelter the 

 boy who tended it. A gentleman who wanted some rooks for 

 scarecrows took his gun and went into the hut with the boy ; 

 but the wary rooks divined the plot. A warning caw was 

 given, and although they flew round and round, not one would 

 settle within gun shot. He sent the boy away, but even this 

 did not avail ; but no sooner had he himself left than the rooks 

 settled on the field in scores. Not to be done, he took two 

 persons with him into the hut. The rooks again left the field. 

 After a time he sent first one boy then the other away, but still 

 the rooks would not settle on the field. Determined to test 



