256 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
season. So that in a district of country extending for twelve 
miles in length and varying from two to four miles in breadth, 
the result of my careful observation and enquiries has been that 
not a single individual of either species has been seen or heard 
this spring. 
A small rookery was commenced here last year, and the cause 
of the birds settling down so far from the old rookeries (fully a 
mile, and a mile and a half from the two nearest) may, I think, be 
attributed to the Rooks being so well fed here during the late 
severe winters. In the winter of 1878-79 large numbers of Rooks 
came daily to be fed with the poultry in the farm-yard, and 
roosted every night in the adjacent trees; but as the weather 
became milder and food more abundant they went off, leaving 
after them half-a-dozen weakly-looking birds. Late in the spring 
a pair of these birds began carrying sticks to an old Magpie’s 
nest, and frequented it for a few days, when they gave up 
building, leaving the nest altogether, and made no further 
attempt, that I could see, at building another nest. These few 
birds remained about the yard and lawn all through the summer, 
and when the severe weather set in were joined by numbers of 
others, which, as usual, fed in the yard with the fowls throughout 
the winter until the spring season, when they all, except three 
birds, left for the neighbouring rookeries. These three birds, 
however, kept close about the yard until the 14th April, when a 
pair of them took possession of the old Magpie’s nest and built 
in it; and the third bird, in about a week after, finding a mate, 
also built a nest close by his companions. ‘The young of the two 
nests were reared safely, and with their parents kept close about 
the place the entire season, roosting on the trees near the yard ; 
there, as usual when the hard weather began, they had plenty of 
companions feeding with them in the yard, some of which must 
have joined the members of the old colony this spring, for now 
there are eight nests built in the little grove. 
