ROOK. 93 



lions that Rooks build every year in the heart of the city of 

 Edinburgh. 



Rooks are supposed to exhibit a degree of sagacity unusual 

 in birds, in selecting or avoiding certain trees. " At an old 

 mansion, not far from London, surrounded 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 was 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 oiF to indicate those which were to 

 come down. These trees were soon forsaken by the Rooks, 

 and it was subsequently 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 for them to quit." Another in- 

 stance is thus noticed : — " Mr. Wingate, steward to Mr. 

 Templer of Lindridge, remarked in various years, that certain 

 trees were not built upon by the Rooks ; if one nest were 

 built, the others destroyed it ; and he invariably found that 

 such trees were decayed, and were generally blown down 

 during some storm." I am disposed in these cases to be- 

 lieve that the age, or incipient decay of the trees, had pro- 

 duced its effect on the upper branches, and that the Rooks 

 found these twigs less fit for their purpose than those of more 

 healthy trees which were close by. 



The balance between injury or benefit derived from Rooks 

 by the agriculturist is a question which general opinion seems 

 to have settled, by considering that the occasional injury is 

 much more than counterbalanced by the amount of benefit 

 conferred in the consumption of thousands of destructive 

 grubs of the common cock-chaffer, the wire-worms of several 

 sorts, and, as mentioned by Mr. Selby, the larvae also of the 

 insect commonly known by the name of harry-long-legs ; 



