BIRDS AND THE AKTS 113 



very interesting. In the South Kensington Museum 

 there is a model of a white-breasted bird, showing how 

 the bird's shadow, thrown back upon the breast, makes 

 it an inconspicuous grey. Here sexual selection and pro- 

 tective colouring work in harmony, for the silvery breasts 

 of many birds, viz., the great crested grebe, play a large 

 part in courtship. In other cases, however, the breasts 

 of many soberly clad birds are brightly coloured. They 

 are concealed from above, but are swelled out to the best 

 advantage in amorous display. 



A TAME ROOK 



I should like to tell you about my tame rook. Whilst 

 she was still a fledgling her parents found her too much 

 of a handful and cast her out of the nest. I picked her 

 up in the drive, and took her into the house, and the 

 next day crossed to Ireland. One of my household 

 brought her up by hand, and on my return I found the 

 rectory in the possession of a very strong personality, who 

 has ruled it ever since. She has been perfectly free all 

 her life, we do not cut her wing ; at night she sleeps 

 in a cage, and often herself calls for it if tired. She 

 wanders about the house , making the workroom her head- 

 quarters. She laid last year after we had had her four 

 years, but was badly egg-bound and nearly died. This 

 year I noticed she had a tendency to carry things to the 

 mantelpiece, so I fixed a cushion to shut off a place be- 

 tween the mantel and overmantel ; she immediately began 

 to build inside. The nest was constructed entirely of 

 what could be got in the house ; she started with twigs 

 out of the housemaid's box, then impounded four work 

 scissors, my two-foot rule, three silver teaspoons, the 

 receipt file, reels of cotton and silk, two tape measures, 

 a strap, string, and tape. All these were wonderfully 

 worked in, the interlacing being most clever and 

 laborious. Having satisfied herself with the outside she 



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