ROOK 183 



rabbits during the summer season ; and when used with 

 smokeless powder cartridges very little noise is made in 

 the process, and the rifles are more cleanly and pleasant 

 to use than is the case when black powder is employed. 

 The increased demand for rook-rifles has led to consider- 

 able improvement being effected in this class of fire-arm, 

 so that for general precision and accuracy a great advance 

 is observable as compared with the smaller rifles of 

 twenty years back. The modern rook-rifle of '250 in. 

 bore, now so highly popular, is bored and sighted so 

 accurately that a penny postage-stamp or half-crown 

 placed at 50 yards' range may be struck shot by shot. It 

 is plain, however, that even with these arms of precision 

 the rifle-shot used to firing at stationary objects may 

 realize a difficulty in picking off rooks perched on a high 

 branch and swinging in the breeze. The skill and knack 

 required under these and certain other conditions, such as 

 varying range and difficulty in sighting the birds, are what 

 really import excitement and interest into this form of 

 sport. Strictly, the shot-gun should only be used to 

 stop the "fliers," the rifle taking the sitting rooks, or 

 " branchers " as they are termed. The "potting " of sit- 

 ting rooks with a 12-bore gun and I J oz. of No. 6 or No. 

 5 shot, certainly calls for the display of little skill. Still, 

 to say that there is neither sport nor skill required in the 

 shooting of rooks with the shot-gun would be totally in- 

 correct. The shot-gun, in fact, is a highly necessary 

 adjunct at most rook-shootings, particularly at the later 

 shootings when strong fliers abound. In such situation, 

 with rifle-shots amidst the trees and the guns posted 

 outside the rookery, there will be sport for all. The 

 guns, as likely as not, will have all their work cut out 

 to stop a fair percentage of the young rooks which essay 



