278 WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



immediately meets the full force of the breeze. It is 

 so powerful sometimes that he cannot overcome it, 

 and his efforts simply lift him in the air, like a kite 

 drawn against the wind. For a few moments he 

 appears stationary, his own impetus and the con- 

 tending wind balancing each other, and holding him 

 suspended. Then he rises again, but still finding 

 the current too strong, tacks like a ship to port or 

 starboard, and so works aslant into the gale. Shortly 

 afterwards he comes down again, if the field be a large 

 one, and glides forward in the same manner as before, 

 close to the surface. In crossing the lake, too, against 

 the wind, he flies within a few feet of the water. 



During such a gale a rook may often be seen strug- 

 gling to get over a row of trees, and stationary, though 

 using his wings vigorously, suspended a little way 

 above the topmost branches. Frequently he has to 

 give up the attempt, turn back, and make a detour. 



Though rooks usually go in flocks, individuals some- 

 times get separated, and may be seen flying alone on 

 the way to rejoin their friends. A flock of rooks, on 

 rising, occasionally divides into two or more parties. 

 Each section wheels off on its own course, while some- 

 times a small number of those who chance to be near 

 the centre of the original formation seem at a loss 

 which company to follow, and settle down again on 

 the field. So a dozen or more become separated from 

 the crowd, and presently, when they rise, they too 

 divide ; three or four fly one way to join one section, 

 and others take another route. Individuals thus find 



