266 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



March 28th A second rooks' nest begun. April 

 gth The first rooks' nest seemed forsaken, as if the 

 old bird had been shot ; but a rook was seen on the 

 edge of the nest, and then flying off with something 

 in its bill, seemingly an egg, so that it may have 

 been robbed by strange rooks, as I had two or 

 three times before seen the old ones driving off 

 others, as if interlopers. May 6th The young 

 rooks out of the nest. May i8th Three rooks 

 about the first nest ; one of them broke off 

 a small twig and flew away with it in its bill. 

 August 25th The families of the two rooks' nests 

 in the trees this morning making much cawing ; 

 and so on, backwards and forwards, to the 2oth of 

 October. 



" 1881, January 2yth The rooks came back to the 

 nests. 3oth One rook roosting at night in the 

 shrubbery not far from one of the nests, as if keep- 

 ing guard. February 6th A pair of rooks about 

 the first old nest in the afternoon. March i4th 

 Eleven rooks about the nests this morning for a 

 short time. March i6th A few rooks about the 

 nests for a short time. i8th Three or four rooks. 

 1 9th Three or four again. 28th Two in the fore- 

 noon about the nests. 2Qth Seven before break- 

 fast at the nests. 3oth Three before breakfast 

 about the nests. 3ist Three in the middle of 

 the day, two at one nest, and one near the other. 

 April i st Three in the morning, and three or four 

 in the middle of the day. 2nd Two or three about 

 the nests (and so on more or less till May 2jth). 



