THE BOOK. 255 



between them and the proprietor as to which shall appro- 

 priate the greater share, so slily do they watch for oppor- 

 tunities, and so quick are they in gathering them and 

 carrying them off in their beaks. In long winter frosts, or 

 when the ground is covered with snow, they are again 

 reduced to straits. Some resort to the sea-shore and feed 

 on garbage of all kinds, some to turnip-fields where they 

 dig holes in the bulbs. They have also been observed to 

 chase and kill small birds, which, as near starvation as 

 themselves, have been unable to fly beyond their reach, 

 and I have even seen a Eook catch a small fish. 



I must not conclude this imperfect sketch without 

 noticing a peculiar habit of Rooks, which is said to portend 

 rain. A flock will suddenly rise into the air almost per- 

 pendicularly, with great cawing and curious antics, until 

 they have reached a great elevation, and then, having 

 attained their object, whatever that may be, drop with their 

 wings almost folded till within a short distance of the 

 ground, when they recover their propriety, and alight 

 either on trees or on the ground with their customary 

 grave demeanour. Occasionally in autumn, as White of 

 Selborne remarks, 



Sooth' d by the genial warmth, the cawing Rook 

 Anticipates the spring, selects her mate, 

 Haunts her tall nests, and with sedulous care 

 Repairs her wicker eyrie, tempest torn. 



Similar instances of this unseasonable pairing are recorded 

 by modern ornithologists. 



Efforts are sometimes made, and not always unsuccess- 

 fully, to induce Rooks to establish a colony in a new 

 locality. One plan is to place some eggs taken from a 

 Rook's nest in that of some large bird which has happened 

 to build in the desired spot, that of a Crow for instance, a 

 Magpie, Jackdaw, Jay, or perhaps a Missel- thrush. If the 

 young are reared, it is probable that they will return to 



