ROOK 



PLATE XLVI. 

 Corvus frugilegus, ...... LINNAEUS. 



F7ARLY in March the nests of the previous year are 

 A-' begun to be repaired, and some new ones are neces- 

 sarily built by the young of that date. The male diligently 

 feeds the female, and occasionally takes her place on the 

 eggs. The young are fledged by the end of May, or the 

 beginning of June ; and second broods sometimes produced 

 as late as November ; but possibly they should be con- 

 sidered rather as early than late ones. 



The nest takes a week or ten days to build. The 

 uproar then ceases, but while the hen birds are sitting, their 

 mates keep up a considerable bustle. The structure is about 

 two feet wide or somewhat more. It is composed of sticks, 

 which are often broken off the trees for the purpose ; these 

 are cemented together with mud, and mixed with tufts of 

 grass, and the nest is finally lined with roots and straw. 



The eggs, four or five in number, are of a pale green 

 ground colour, blotted over with darker and lighter patches 

 of yellowish and greenish brown: they vary much, often 

 clouded, dotted, and spotted, with greyish brown and light 

 purple grey, sometimes so much so as nearly to conceal the 

 ground colour. 



Mr. Booth, whose practical remarks are always worthy of 



