WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 265 



principal weight of the nest, for that would loosen 

 the twigs in time, and dislocate the entire structure. 

 Finally, rooks like an adjacent bough on which the 

 bird not actually engaged in incubation can perch 

 and " caw " to his mate, and which is also useful to 

 alight on when bringing food for the young. 



It may be that the difficulty of finding trees which 

 afford all these necessary conditions is one reason why 

 rooks who settle at a distance from their city seem 

 long before they can please themselves. The in- 

 genuity exercised in the selection of the bough and in 

 the placing of the twigs is certainly very remarkable. 

 When the wind blows furiously you may see the nest 

 moving gently, riding on the swaying boughs, while 

 one of the birds perches on a branch close by, and goes 

 up and down like a boat on the waves. Except by the 

 concussion of branches beating hard against the nest, 

 it is rarely broken ; up to a certain point it would 

 seem as if the older nests are the firmest, perhaps 

 because of their weight. Sometimes one which has 

 been blown down in the winter when the absence of 

 protecting leaves gives the wind more power on them 

 retains its general form even after striking against 

 branches in its descent and after collision with the 

 earth. 



Elms are their favourite trees for building in. Oak 

 and ash are also used, but where there are sufficient 

 elms they seem generally preferred. These trees, as 

 a rule, grow higher than any others ordinarily found 

 in the fields, and are more frequently seen in groups, 



