ROOKS ROBBING SPARROWS 135 



that unconcernedly walked round the dead Rooks, 

 and actually picked out and swallowed the maggots 

 from their decaying bodies ! 



During frosty weather Rooks will approach 

 very near to our homes, even coming into gardens 

 to take the Sparrows' food. Others will sit on the 

 trees and wait until a Sparrow flies off with a large 

 piece of bread or other tit-bit ; and then one will 

 leave its perch to chase the Sparrow until it is 

 compelled to drop its load. Then the Rook, in 

 turn, will be chased by its companions, and a 

 scuffle goes on ; and by the time the piece of 

 bread is disposed of, many birds have had a small 

 share of the spoil. A friend once informed me of 

 a pair of Rooks he watched chasing one another ; 

 one of which had a dainty morsel of something 

 is his beak, which the other wanted to take away. 

 While the former was being chased, he managed, 

 unobserved by the other, to drop the food, and in 

 its eagerness to possess this, the other still con- 

 tinued the chase. The artful bird which had 

 dropped the piece led the pursuer a long chase, 

 until the latter noticed that the prize he had in 

 view was gone, and each then went its respective 

 way. In due time, however, the " knowing one," 

 waiting until the other was well away, made a 

 circuit of about a mile, returned to the spot where 



