178 THE COMMON ROOK. 



be given, to hear the constant clamour and im- 

 portunity of the young for food. The old birds 

 seemed to suffer without complaint ; but the wants 

 of their offspring were expressed by the unceasing 

 cry of hunger, and pursuit of their parents for 

 supply, and our fields were scenes of daily restless- 

 ness and lament. Yet, amid all this distress, it 

 was pleasing to observe the perseverance of the old 

 birds in the endeavour to relieve their famishing 

 families, as many of them remained out searching 

 for food quite in the dusk, and returned to their 

 roosts long after the usual period for retiring. In 

 this extremity it becomes a plunderer, to which by 

 inclination it is not much addicted, and resorts to 

 our newly-set potato fields, digging out the cut- 

 tings. Ranks are seen sadly defective, the result 

 of its labours, I fear; and the request of my 

 neighbours now and then for a bird from my 

 rookerv, to hang up in terrorem in their fields, is 

 confirmatory of its bad name. In autumn a ripe 

 pear, or a walnut, becomes an irresistible tempta- 

 tion, and it will occasionally obtain a good share of 

 these fruits. In hard frost it is pinched again, 

 visits for food the banks of streams, and in con- 

 junction with its congener, the * e villain crow," 

 becomes a wayfaring bird, and " seeks a dole from 

 every passing steed *." Its life, however, is not 



* During the unusually severe winter of 1829-30, our rooks be- 

 came certainly "corn-eaters:" the ground was bound down by the 

 frost, and their favourite food hidden by the snow. They fixed them- 

 selves, by dozens, on the oat-ricks out in the fields ; and the late 

 sown, just germinating wheat was dug up from the soil, to a very 



