THE ROOK. 139 



of some of these birds I found a large number of grubs, 

 while no traces of wheat or green blades were discernible. 



" Another illustration in point. During the protracted 

 drought of last summer a blight seemed to come over a 

 large quantity of onions in a market-garden at Craigmillar. 

 The plants at first became slightly discoloured, and even- 

 tually withered away. My attention was called to the 

 circumstance that the market - gardener was having his 

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

 while it might be true that the onions were being pulled 

 up, I was, at the same time, certain that it was not that 

 they might be partaken of as food. On visiting the spot 

 1 at once observed that the onions were blighted and 

 fading away, as if they had been sown where there was 

 neither moisture nor soil. This at oncfc^ed to the solution 

 of the difficulty, as, upon careful inspection, I found, as 

 I had anticipated, that the onions were being destroyed 

 by grubs, which, in incalculable numbers, pervaded the 

 entire area on which they had been sown. It will thus 

 be seen that the object of the rooks in pulling up the 

 plants was to devour these pestilent insects, as not one of 

 the plants exhibited the slightest indication of having been 

 partaken of. It was interesting to note the sagacity which 

 the birds displayed in pulling them up, as in no case did 

 they make a mistake, even where discoloration could not 

 be discovered by the human eye. It is needless to say 

 that here, as in the case of the wheat referred to, the 

 rooks rendered a valuable service to the farmer and to 

 society at large. It will be evident that there is a danger 

 of the interests of the farmers being overlooked by super- 

 ficial observers rushing to hasty conclusions, as was the 

 case of the grieve referred to. As by scientific investiga- 

 tion many palpable mistakes in agriculture are being dis- 

 covered, so will the interests of farmers and gardeners 

 be promoted as the facts of natural history become more 

 generally and accurately understood." 



Mr. M'Bean, although evidently a lover of rooks, has 

 his doubts, and answers Mr. Speedy as follows : 



" Whether the rook is the friend or the foe of the 



