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OBSERVATIONS ON ROOKS. 



JULIET V. BLACKBURN, 

 Driffield. 



In the trees just opposite the room at Driffield in which I 

 spend much time the Rooks are building. In February, during- 

 a spell of warm weather, some young and reckless birds thought 

 it was time to set up housekeeping, and great was the gathering 

 of sticks and quarrelling about eligible sites. But the old birds, 

 with experience of East Riding springs, ruthlessly threw the 

 sticks down again and turned the young couples out of the 

 trees. 



During the past winter I have noticed a care for the good 

 of the community which I had not seen before. After the great 

 storms in December a Rook ' Parliament' was held, resulting in 

 all the nests being demolished excepting a few in the most 

 sheltered trees. As yet the tallest trees have no nests in them, 

 though six couples, apparently the same as had their nests there 

 last year, sit in the branches nearly all da}' and warn off any 

 others that come prospecting round. 



During the winter months the Rooks do not sleep in their 

 rookeries, and leave their nests at night. Each pair of Rooks 

 appears to try to be the last to leave. Sometimes they will ^o 

 off, and quietly return. These tactics were explained when I 

 saw two rooks come hurrying back. They pounced upon an 

 unfinished nest and reduced it to ruins, flinging all the twigs 

 to the ground except two or three which they carried to their 

 own nest. 



On another occasion I noticed a Rook steal a tempting twig 

 from a neighbour's nest. The owners were away, but a dozen 

 other Rooks noticed the theft, and he was pecked and hustled 

 about by the community at large until the owners returned and 

 added their quota of abuse. 



Among all the busy, happy pairs in the rookery opposite 

 there are two sad and solitary birds, whether bachelors or 

 maidens I cannot say. While the other birds are fetching sticks 

 they sit and gaze enviously at the nests. When the others come 

 back they try to look perky and superior, but only succeed in 

 getting- into everybody's way, and finally are ignominiously 

 driven out of the trees, only to return as soon as the busy 

 couples turn their backs. 



Naturalist, 



