232 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



" Behold the Rooks how odd their flight, 

 They imitate the gliding kite, 

 And seem precipitate to fall, 

 As if they felt the piercing ball." 



The Book is almost too well-known to need any 

 description : the irides are dark brown ; the whole 

 of the plumage is glossy, shining black, reflecting 

 purple and blue ; it is much more glossy than that 

 of the Crow. The space round the beak nearly to 

 the eyes is a rough whitish skin without feathers; 

 this at a distance is one of the most easily seen 

 distinctions between the Book and the Crow. In 

 young birds of the year this rough white skin round 

 the beak does not appear, that part being covered 

 with feathers, which are not replaced after the first 

 moult. There is a very common theory, with which 

 I do not myself agree, that the feathers are worn off 

 by the bird rubbing them when boring in the ground 

 for grubs and insects : if this were really the case 

 the feathers would be replaced after each moult, 

 and consequently for a short period at that time of 

 year all Books would have this part feathered ; but 

 this is not the case. 



Varieties of the Book not unfrequently occur ; the 

 most general are pied black and white, white and 

 cream-colour. I have one specimen of the pied 

 variety in my collection, a young bird of the year : a 

 part of the beak of this bird is white also. 



The egg is much like that of the Crow, but rather 



