ROOKB. 247 



tcct in many of these roots, the cell of a wire-worm, 

 in its silent and under-ground progress, inflicting 

 death on stems of many future grains. Their saga- 

 city, too, in discovering that a field of wheat, or a 

 meadow, is suffering from the superabundance of 

 devouring insect, is deserving of notice. 

 Whether they find it out hy sight, smell, or some 

 additional unknown sense, is a mystery; hut that 

 they do so is a fact beyond all contradiction. 



A\"e remember a few years ago seeing, for several 

 day*., a flight of Rooks regularly resorting to a field 

 close to the house ; and 011 walking over it, observed 

 that the whole surface was covered with uprooted 

 stems of one particular plant, and on looking more 

 narrowly, it was ascertained that many of those still 

 um< uched, were of an unhealthy yellow appearance; 

 and that to these alone the Rooks seemed to direct 

 their attention; and on still closer examination, the 

 roots of each of these unhealthy plants were found 

 to have been attacked by a small grub, which at 

 once accounted for the daily presence of these sable 

 visitant*. 



A similar testimony in favour of a bird of this 

 species, the Purple Grakle, or Xew England Jack- 

 daw, occurs in King's Narrative, (vol. 2, page 2 17-) 

 He says, ik that a reward of three-pence a dozen was 

 once awarded in that country, for the extirpation of 

 the Grakles; and the object was almost effected, to 

 the cost of the inhabitants, who at length discovered 

 that Providence had not formed these supposed de- 

 structive birds in vain: for notwithstanding they 

 caused great havoc among the grain, they made 

 ample recompense, by clearing the soil of the nox- 



