ROOK. 145 



without taking the least notice, as if conscious that 

 there was no danger to be apprehended from such 

 a source. 



The rooks seldom begin to build in good earnest 

 before the first week in March. One year (1826) 

 they were first observed busy in this way on the 4th 

 of March ; the young were first heard squeaking in 

 the nests on the 7th of April, and the first fledged 

 birds were noticed on the 29th of the same month. 

 These dates give a period of exactly two lunar 

 months allotted to the business of modification, of 

 which about five weeks are taken up in building and 

 incubating, and the remaining three devoted to feed- 

 ing and bringing up the young birds, till able to 

 leave the nest. In subsequent years, these dates 

 have sometimes fallen a few days later, but the 

 intervals between them respectively have remained 

 nearly the same. 



There are also always some pairs much behind the 

 others, to the extent of a month or more. A few 

 young rooks may be observed most years sitting at 

 the edge of the nest, hardly yet fledged, as late as 

 the beginning of June, long after the great bulk 

 have flown and taken their departure. 



In building their nests, rooks are not content 

 with picking up any dead sticks that may fall in their 

 way, but use principally fresh twigs, which they 

 forcibly detach from the branches of the neigh- 

 bouring trees. They may often be observed at such 



