SPORT OF BUTE. Ill 



and fluttered from spray to spray, but always 

 above the sheltering nest, and ready to drop into 

 it at the warning caw of the old ones. The flap- 

 ping wings and eager calls of the young often 

 warned me that the parents were approaching 

 long before I saw them myself, and I was often 

 amazed at the intuition of the different young 

 broods in detecting the approach of their own 

 father or mother among the black multitude 

 hovering and cawing in the air. The branchers 

 were not encouraged to take an adventurous flight 

 to the adjacent tree until quite strong and fully 

 fledged ; after this they soon learned to follow the 

 flock to the adjoining feeding grounds. 



From their cheerful social habits inviting ob- 

 servation and study, rooks and the interior eco- 

 nomy of their commonwealth have furnished 

 matter for many curious tales. I give the follow- 

 ing instance, which only took place in the year 

 1863 : There had been for years a rook's nest on 

 a tree in the back garden of a house in Moray 

 Place. During the winter of 1863 a large com- 

 pany of rooks pulled it quite down. The follow- 

 ing spring a pair rebuilt the nest, laid eggs, and 



