46 FEBRUARY 



Gerston, and Brawl. Gramercy ! what a jolly time 

 these rooks have ! No one ever molests them, yet 

 the havoc they work in the stackyards must be seen 

 before it is believed. The slender ricks, locally 

 called * screws,' ridiculous things shaped like pepper- 

 castors, are riddled to honeycomb torn to utter 

 dishevelment by these swarthy marauders. Rock 

 pigeons and starlings attend to profit by the ruin ; 

 the loss consists, not only in what is eaten, but in 

 the damage of rain and thawing snow pouring into 

 the stacks. Nobody seems to notice this except 

 strangers such as myself, and threshing proceeds in 

 leisurely fashion, as occasion arises for fodder ; yet, 

 assuredly, had rooks been landlord's game, the 

 country would have resounded with angry clamour 

 about them long ere this. 



The fact is, what to do with our rooks is be- 

 coming a difficult question in the north. Up to a 

 certain, or, to speak more precisely, an uncertain 

 point, the farmer is entitled to count them among 

 his allies, by reason of the number of grubs and 

 other pests that they devour. But there is certainly 

 a measure beyond which this bird ought not to be 

 allowed to increase. In England rooks are kept 

 fairly in check, because rook-shooting is a favourite 



