ROOKS AND ROOK-SHOOTING 227 



themselves to be rattling good rifle-shots, and the rooks 

 in the big woods being sufficiently thinned out, a move 

 is made towards what is locally known as Gallows Hill 

 Copse, owing to the fact that a gallows tree used, in 

 years gone by, to stand on the hill under which the copse 

 nestles. 



The rookery here, which might be described as an off- 

 shoot or suburb of the main rookery, is comparatively 

 new, and boasts not one-eighth of the feathered popula- 

 tion of the older colony. Nevertheless, the shooting 

 is very much more difficult, for the tall beech and 

 elm trees are more densely grouped than is the case in 

 the big covert, and some really sporting shots are obtained 

 at birds flying high between the intertwined branches. 



The evening's shooting is now over, the henchmen 

 gather and tie into bunches the " bag," while the guns 

 troop up to the picturesque old Manor-house to refresh 

 the inner man. 



