Different Flight of Young Birds. 239 



sufficient to follow their parents on the first alarm 

 to a safe distance. They have, therefore, a good 

 opportunity of witnessing the destruction of their 

 cousins, and do not forget the lesson. 



Although the young birds upon getting out of the 

 nest under ordinary conditions seem to like to wander, 

 yet if they are driven out or startled by the shot they 

 do not then at once endeavor to make for the open 

 country or to spread abroad <, but appear rather to 

 cling to the place, as if the old nests could shelter 

 them. After awhile they begin to understand the 

 danger of this proceeding, and half an hour's rapid 

 firing causes the birds to spread about and get into 

 the trees in the hedges at some distance. There of 

 course they are pursued, or killed the next day, 

 three quarters of a mile or more away from home. 

 It is rare for old rooks to get shot, for the reason 

 above stated : they rise into the air out of reach. 

 Those that are killed are generally such as have 

 lingered in the hope to save a young bird, and are 

 mistaken and shot as young themselves. 



Young birds may be easily distinguished by their 

 slow uncertain flight and general appearance of not 

 knowing exactly where to go or what to do. They 

 are specially easy to pick out if you see them about 

 to perch on a tree. They go at the tree anyhow, 

 crash in among the branches, and rather fall on a 

 perch than choose it. The old bird always enters a 

 tree carefully, as if he did not like to ruffle his feath- 

 ers, and knew precisely what sort of bough he pre- 

 ferred to settle on. Close to the rookery there is no 

 need to wait to pick out the young birds, because 

 they are all sure to be young birds there ; but, as 



