218 ROOKS. 



who at length discovered that Providence had not formed 

 these supposed destructive birds in vain : for, notwith- 

 standing they caused great havoc among the grain, they 

 made ample recompense, by clearing the soil of the 

 noxious worms, particularly of one called the pease- 

 beetle (Bruclius pisi). For no sooner were the birds 

 destroyed, than the insects multiplied to such a degree, 

 as to cause the total loss of the grass in 1749, when the 

 colonists had to get their hay from Pennsylvania, and 

 even from Great Britain." 



We often hear persons congratulating themselves on 

 a deep snow, a hard frost, or dry weather, as the surest 

 means of destroying insects ; whereas it is just the re- 

 verse. A hard frost, or a deep snow, or a dry Summer, are 

 the very best protection they can have, and for this rea- 

 son : the Rooks and other birds cannot reach that innu- 

 merable host which pass the greatest part of their 

 existence under-ground. In vain the hungry Rook, in a 

 hard frost, looks over a fine fallow, or a field of new- 

 sown wheat. He may be seen sitting on a bare bough, 

 like Tantalus, in the midst of plenty beyond his reach, 

 with his feathers ruffled up, casting every now and then 

 an anxious glance over the frozen surface, beyond the 

 power of even his strong beak to penetrate. His situa- 

 tion is much the same in dry Springs or Summers, when 

 he may be seen walking up and down by the sides of 

 highways, picking up what he can get. In the hot Sum- 

 mer of 1825, many of the young broods of the season 

 are reported to have been starved : the mornings were 

 without dew, and consequently few or no earth-worms 

 were to be obtained, and they were found dead under 

 the trees*, having expired on their roostings. It was 

 quite distressing, says an eye-witness, to hear the con- 

 stant clamour of the young for food. The old birds 

 seemed to suffer without complaint ; but the wants of 

 their famishing offspring were expressed by unceasing 

 -cries. Yet, amidst all this distress, it was pleasing to 



* Journal of a Naturalist. 



