THE ROOK 49 



that may lie in their way, and in this way do harm, 

 but the greater number of the flock pick up the fallen 

 grains in the stubble field, and a few follow the carts 

 which carry the corn, and pick up any that is dropped. 

 There is no harm in this, as these ears would in any case 

 be lost to the farmer. At the time of the hay harvest 

 they settle on the ridges of cut grass and hunt for 

 crickets and grasshoppers, for these creatures have then 

 no cover, and easily fall a prey to the birds. The Rook 

 also attacks the young maize and fruit, but it has 

 not skill in this respect and cannot do much harm. 

 The harm done is outweighed a thousandfold by the 

 good which it does in the destruction of insects. The 

 black army of birds lights also upon the turnip crops 

 just at the time when these valuable plants are covered 

 with masses of the "turnip caterpillar." By the 

 destruction of this pest they do the farmer invaluable 

 service. 



This sanitary work continues into the late autumn as 

 long as the caterpillars, the Rook's favourite food, remain. 

 The Rook may do serious damage during the autumn 

 sowing, especially if it is thin, and sown and harrowed 

 so late that the caterpillars have disappeared, not so much, 

 however, that the field must be ploughed up ; at the 

 worst there would remain only one or two unproductive 

 spots, and we know that corn grows in tufts, and if it is 

 not thinned by the Rooks it must be done by the 

 farmer, so that the corn is not choked by its own 

 abundance. 



When the hard part of winter comes, the flocks of 

 Rooks seek towns and villages, where they spend the 

 nights on the roofs of houses in order to shelter them- 

 selves from the icy wind ; during the day they steal from 



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