56 STRA Y PEA THERS FROM MANY BIRDS. 



become the easy prey of wandering weasels, foxes, and 

 other predacious creatures. As soon as the young are 

 able to fly, the entire community desert the rookery 

 and betake themselves to the fields. For weeks now, 

 not a bird will visit the nest trees ; but, as the summer 

 draws on, the birds may be seen in them occasionally, 

 though they never roost there. From the beginning of 

 September until the following breeding season, however, 

 they visit the trees regularly every morning in varying 

 numbers. 



Rooks are remarkably knowing birds, and soon get 

 accustomed to certain persons and sounds which bring 

 them no harm. The birds in the rookery which I was 

 in the habit of frequenting so much soon got so accus- 

 tomed to my visits that they rarely left the tree tops as 

 I wandered under them ; but if I was accompanied by 

 a friend, or a stranger made his appearance, the entire 

 colony would become alarmed and fly up into the air 

 cawing loudly. The movements of Rooks are a sure sign 

 to the intelligent keeper that trespassers are about or 

 that something unusual is going on beneath the nest 

 trees. The noise made by the excited Rooks can be 

 heard for miles, and the din, when listened to at close 

 quarters, is almost deafening. It rises and falls in fitful 

 gusts, ceasing for a few moments as if the entire colony 

 obeyed the dictates of a leader, then crashing out anew. 

 Though harsh and discordant, the caw of the Rook is one 



