ROOK. 147 



I observe every year, that, from about the begin- 

 ning of April to the end of the first week in May, 

 the rooks visit the pasture in front of my house 

 regularly every day. This is the period during 

 which the young are in the nest, and it is probably 

 for the purpose of obtaining food for them. They 

 chiefly come early in the morning, and are often all 

 gone by 8 o'clock A. M. With the help of a small 

 pocket eye-glass, I occasionally see some of them 

 walking about with their bills half open. Query, if 

 this is not owing to the number of grubs they suffer 

 to accumulate in their mouths before flying off with 

 their booty ? They are constantly digging. 



May 12th, 1828. Rooks undoubtedly suck par- 

 tridges' eggs occasionally, since the keeper at Bottis- 

 ham, who found that havoc had been made in that 

 way by some vermin or other, lately set some traps 

 near the nests and caught several. 



June %th. The men who are engaged in mowing 

 the hay and clover state that the rooks follow their 

 movements, and fall-to upon any nests which are ex- 

 posed by the scythe, devouring the eggs without 

 mercy, and carrying others away in their bills, not 

 sparing even those of the skylark. This singular 

 fact, which they say they never observed in former 

 seasons, seems to be a new circumstance in the 

 history of the rook, and confirms what was recorded 

 last month. 



H 2 



