November 



elaborated their call notes into what, in our opinion 

 constitutes song. Their canons manifestly are not 

 ours ; and their songs are composed for their own 

 delectation, and that of the lady in the nest. 

 The hen starling very probably has but a poor 

 opinion of the nocturnal vapourings of the cock 

 nightingale. 



It might be objected that, if the call- note were 

 worked up into song, it would be superseded by the 

 song ; but when it is remembered that the call-note 

 serves primarily to call attention and give prompt 

 warning, it will be seen that, although song might 

 spring from it, it could not replace it. 



Whatever might be the theory of the origin of 

 song in birds, of song-birds proper there was at 

 this time none left that sang at all. 



For November closed with a week of con- 

 tinuous frost, and the hollow ground rang to one's 

 heel. The rooks, which still visited daily their 

 nesting-trees, used to spend a fruitless half-hour 

 in hammering the frost-bound clods for breakfast, 

 then close in to the houses, and take up their 

 positions on some humble perch, dejection and 

 mute apology written in all their bearing. The 

 rook is too wary to make an efficient beggar, but 

 his impudence entitles him to rank as a capable 

 thief. He spent his time harrying sparrows and 

 other small fowl as they attempted to carry off 

 some scrap of local charity. Like sparrow and 

 robin, thrush, blackbird, and starling, the rook is 



45 



