138 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



chief they may do to the cereal crops in seasons when they 

 are pressed for food, this occurs but seldom. There can 

 be not the slightest doubt that they destroy an enormous 

 number of the larvae of the wireworm, of slugs, beetles, 

 and many other much more potent enemies to the various 

 agricultural products than the rooks. 



A correspondence appeared in the Field newspaper some 

 short time since in relation to the rook's capability of con- 

 ferring benefit or the reverse on the agriculturist ; it is of 

 so much interest that we have taken the liberty of repro- 

 ducing it. Mr. Speedy writes : 



" Whether rooks are the foes or friends of the farmer 

 has long been a controverted question. Some assert they 

 do a very considerable amount of damage to crops, while 

 others maintain that any mischief they do is more than 

 counterbalanced by the immense numbers of slugs, wire- 

 worms, &c., they devour, which are so destructive to young 

 plants. That they do a certain amount of mischief, espe- 

 cially in dry seasons, is true ; but they are often mistakenly 

 charged with eating up the crops while they are taking the 

 best possible means of protecting them. In illustration of 

 this, some years ago, in the early spring, a farm-grieve 

 tried to stalk a flock of rooks which were busy feeding on 

 a field of grain. Meeting him, 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 go round and startle them, to which he readily 

 agreed, when I had no difficulty in killing a couple as 

 they flew overhead. ' Man, that's grand ! ' the grieve 

 exclaimed as he came forward ; ' I'll hing them up in the 

 field to scare ithers.' Carrying the two birds in my hand, 

 we walked to where the rooks had been feeding, when we 

 discovered numerous holes dug by their powerful beaks, 

 and blades of young wheat strewn all around. On minute 

 examination, however, I observed that the blades which 

 had been pulled up corresponded with a considerable 

 number which were not so bright in colour as healthy 

 plants are, and digging one up with my knife, I discovered 

 a small grub adhering to the root. On opening the gizzard 



