No. 2. 



The Rook. 



59 



The Rookf C'orvus frugilegus, L,iiin. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — Though birds were my 

 early favourites, I have never made inuch 

 progress in ornithology. I have little lei- 

 sure for such pursuits, and I shall merely 

 subjoin a brief .«ketch of a pet Rook, with 

 which I have the pleasure of being ae 

 quainted. 



I visited him a few days ago at Ardrossan, 

 and was glad to find, that thougli a dozen 

 winters have passed over his head, he has 

 all the vivacity of early life. He is a crow 

 of aristocratic extraction ; at all events he 

 is of high descent, having been reared on 

 one of the highest trees at Shieldhall 

 where his ancestors, it is believed, had their 

 favourite residence for many generations. 

 When he was well fledged he was brought 

 down to the abodes of men, by one of the 

 aspiring youths of Shieldhall, George Os' 

 wald, Esq., now in India, as a present to his 

 aunt, Miss Oswald, and by her the pet crow, 

 prized for his own good qualities, and loved 

 for the donor's sake, was brought down to 

 her sweet villa, at Ardrossan. Her villa 

 was contiguous to that of Miss Hamilton, of 

 Holmhead, and as our rook had then the 

 free use of his wings, and was of a social 

 disposition, he paid frequent visits to his 

 neighbours, and soon formed acquaintance 

 with the occupants of Miss Hamilton's poul- 

 try-yard, consisting of a cock and two hens. 

 The intimacy increased ; the visits became 

 longer and longer, till at last the crow be- 

 came domiciled along with them ; and when 

 Mi.ss Oswald left Ardrossan, being unwilling 

 to break asunder the ties of affectionate 

 friendship, she left the crow in its adopted 

 dwelling place. The longer they were ac- 

 quainte(l the stronger did the friendship be- 

 come, though it was evidently most ardent 

 on the part of the crow. He was exceed- 

 ingly attentive to his chosen friends, the 

 hens, and would often arrange their feathers 

 and dress them to his own taste, so that his 

 officious services were sometimes rejected, 

 as troublesome. The cock was still a greater 

 favourite, and he roosted every night beside 

 him, nestling under his wing. 



After this platonic friendship had subsisted 

 for several years, one of the hens became 

 sick and died. During her illness he was 

 unremitting in his attentions, waiting on her 

 most affectionately ; but he could not ward 

 off" the stroke of death. A still greater ca- 

 lamity awaited him, for the favourite cock 

 also died. He was unceasing in his atten- 

 tion to him during his trouble, and when he 

 died, he was so disconsolate that he would 

 not taste food for several days. 



At last old age, which indeed had carried 

 off" the others, crept on the remaining hen. 

 When she became feeble and helpless, he 

 scarcely ever left her for a moment, striving 

 to cheer her by innumerable little acts of 

 kindness. There were two steps up from 

 the poultry-yard to llie house in which they 

 roosted, and when she became too weak to 

 mount the steps, as he could not himself lift 

 her up, he always came to the kitchen win- 

 dow, and kept up an incessant clamour till 

 some of the servants came out and lifted 

 her lip. 



For two days before her death, she could 

 not leave the roosting-house, and he re- 

 mained along with her, bringing her food, 

 laying it down before her, and coaxing her 

 to eat it. 



Notwithstanding his unwearied assiduity 

 and afl^ectionate attentions, the poor hen 

 died, and it was thought that he would not 

 long have survived her. He was quite dis- 

 consolate. Life had lost its charm. He 

 scarcely tasted food, and became altogether 

 changed; so that from being lively and 

 cheerful, and active, he drooped, and be- 

 came timid and .spiritless. 



Some young poultry were purchased, in 

 the hope that they might cheer him, but he 

 seemed quite alraid of them and avoided 

 their company. 



After months had passed away he gradu- 

 ally recovered his spirits, and he is now as 

 brisk and lively a bird as you can look upon. 

 He is no longer afraid of the inmates of the 

 poultry-yard ; but though he associates with 

 them, they have not succeeded in gaining 

 his affections. He knows all the inmates 

 of the house, and takes with pleasure, a bit 

 of bread or of cold meat, from their hands. 

 Unfortunately he is so much of an epicure, 

 as to be particularly fond of a new-laid egg, 

 and when the exulting cackle of a hen pro- 

 claims that she has deposited a treasure, 

 there is generally a race between the ser- 

 vant and the rook, each being eager to seize 

 the prize. 



For a long time he was allowed the free 

 use of his wings, but complaints were lodged 

 against him by the proprietors of the neigh- 

 bouring villas, that he was in the habit of 

 perching on the roofs of their houses, and of 

 picking tlie lime from the skews, casting it 

 up into the air. This frolic was an overt 

 act of mischief; but his accusers did not 

 take into account that it was conjoined with 

 another act of utility, for it was only the 

 loosened pieces of lime that he removed, 

 and chiefly, we doubt not, that he might get 

 at the vermin concealed underneath. As no 

 person would become bound for his more 

 sober demeanour when he got into his alti- 



