THE ROOK. 



Singular antipuiliy. 



The joy became loud and universal; bi}t, alas! 

 it was soon changed into notes of lamentation ; 

 for the poor wounded bird, jn attempting to fiy 

 towards his nest, dropped into the river, and was 

 drowned, amidst the moans of his whole fra- 

 ternity." 



A singular antipathy has been observed to 

 exist between these birds and the r^ven : Mr. 

 Markwick informs us that in the year 1778, as 

 soon as a raven had built her nest in a tree ad- 

 joining to a numerous rookery, all the rooks im- 

 mediately forsook the spot, ah 1 have not returned 

 to build there since. At the Bishop of Chiches- 

 ter's rookery, at Broomham, near Hastings, upon. 

 a raven's building her nest in one of the trees, all 

 the rooks forsook the spot; they, however, re- 

 turned to their haunts in the autumn, and built 

 their nests there the succeeding year. To ac- 

 count for this antipathy it may be observed, that 

 the raven will scarcely suffer any bird to come 

 within a quarter of a mile of its nest, being very 

 fierce in defending it: and it is also known to 

 feeize the young rooks from their nests, to feed 

 its own young. 



Mr. Pennant remarks, that the females begin 

 to build in March; and, after the breeding sea- 

 son is over, they quit their nesting trees, and for 

 some time roost elsewhere ; but they have inva- 

 riably been observed to return in August. 



When the first brood are sufficiently fledged, 

 they all leave their nest-trees in the day-time aad 



