48 THE ROOK 



the truth although the other conditions of its life must 

 also be taken into account. 



It is easy to observe the behaviour of Rooks, because 

 they always move and act in flocks. These flocks are 

 dissolved only in cold snowy winters, when the birds, 

 tired of the cold and lack of food, come into the villages. 

 When the early spring ploughing begins, part of them 

 follow the plough ; the flock spreads itself over the 

 freshly ploughed land and they snap up the grubs of the 

 destructive insects which escape from the newly-turned 

 clods. This then is useful work. They also settle on 

 the sown land and pick up the seeds which the harrow- 

 has left on the surface, but at the same time devour the 

 insects which the harrow has turned up. There is no 

 harm in this. In a short time the full spring has come 

 and the immature insects have developed into other 

 forms then the Rook begins to think of building its nest. 

 Its young are not fed on seeds, for at that time there are 

 none to be had, but exclusively on insects which again 

 is a great and useful work. Then the flock spreads over 

 the neighbourhood, leaving their sleeping-place in the 

 morning in a body, and betaking themselves to different 

 parts of the district; and it may be remembered that 

 separate flocks repeatedly visit the same spot, and work 

 there; as, for instance, one point in a great stretch of 

 cornland, where in the track of the birds lie many 

 uprooted plants, which the farmer generally looks upon 

 as due to the mischief of the Rooks. When insect life 

 has become stronger, they settle on the meadows, 

 where they eagerly hunt for crickets and grasshoppers ; 

 then they return to the ploughed fields and destroy the 

 insects that have been disturbed and this is useful work. 

 It is true that later on they visit any heaps of cut corn 



