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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  EDITORIAL 
  GLEANINGS. 
  

  

  We 
  heartily 
  welcome 
  the 
  first 
  number 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Quarterly 
  — 
  the 
  

   1 
  Bradford 
  Scientific 
  Journal 
  ' 
  — 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Hon. 
  

   Sec. 
  at 
  15, 
  Godwin 
  Street, 
  Bradford. 
  A 
  paper 
  entitled 
  " 
  A 
  Study 
  in 
  

   Rooks," 
  by 
  E. 
  Harper, 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest, 
  and 
  we 
  give 
  very 
  

   full 
  extracts 
  from 
  same 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  known, 
  although 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  generally, 
  that 
  Rooks 
  

   do 
  not 
  stay 
  to 
  roost 
  in 
  their 
  rookery 
  through 
  tbe 
  winter. 
  Gilbert 
  

   White, 
  in 
  his 
  delightful 
  ' 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  Selborne,' 
  records, 
  over 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  years 
  ago, 
  that 
  the 
  Rooks 
  of 
  that 
  district 
  retired 
  for 
  the 
  night 
  

   to 
  the 
  beech-woods 
  of 
  Tisted 
  and 
  Ropley 
  ; 
  and, 
  coming 
  nearer 
  hornp, 
  

   Waterton 
  also 
  recorded 
  that 
  the 
  Rooks 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Nostell 
  

   Priory 
  gathered 
  up 
  there 
  to 
  roost 
  in 
  such 
  vast 
  numbers, 
  that 
  he 
  thought 
  

   there 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  another 
  roosting-place 
  within 
  thirty 
  miles. 
  

  

  " 
  No 
  attempt 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  made, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  trace, 
  to 
  

   ascertain 
  really 
  the 
  area 
  from 
  whence 
  they 
  came, 
  or 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  

   the 
  movement 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  these 
  notes 
  are 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  exciting 
  a 
  wider 
  

   interest 
  in 
  this 
  most 
  fascinating 
  phenomenon, 
  they 
  will 
  have 
  served 
  a 
  

   useful 
  purpose. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Rook 
  and 
  Jackdaw 
  are 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  need 
  any 
  intro- 
  

   duction 
  in 
  themselves, 
  as 
  one 
  need 
  not 
  go 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  tbe 
  centre 
  of 
  

   the 
  city 
  before 
  seeing 
  one 
  or 
  both 
  species. 
  On 
  the 
  principle 
  tbat 
  

   'familiarity 
  breeds 
  contempt,' 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  their 
  very 
  abundance 
  

   which 
  accounts 
  for 
  our 
  incomplete 
  and 
  inaccurate 
  knowledge 
  of 
  them 
  ; 
  

   in 
  fact, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  frequently 
  learnt 
  to 
  my 
  cost, 
  the 
  information 
  given 
  

   by 
  country 
  people 
  generally 
  is 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  absolutely 
  unreliable, 
  and 
  

   necessitates 
  the 
  personal 
  confirmation 
  of 
  all 
  reports 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  

   be 
  accepted. 
  

  

  " 
  Of 
  all 
  our 
  local 
  species, 
  the 
  Rook 
  and 
  Jackdaw 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   gregarious. 
  In 
  summer 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  nesting 
  in 
  colonies 
  — 
  the 
  

   Rooks 
  at 
  their 
  rookeries, 
  and 
  the 
  Jackdaws 
  in 
  tbe 
  cliffs 
  or 
  other 
  suitable 
  

   localities 
  ; 
  whilst, 
  after 
  the 
  nesting 
  season, 
  they 
  flock 
  together, 
  roost 
  

   together, 
  and 
  almost 
  behave 
  as 
  one 
  species. 
  It 
  will 
  save 
  repetition 
  

   therefore 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  understood 
  that, 
  excepting 
  where 
  specially 
  stated, 
  the 
  

   following 
  remarks 
  apply 
  equally 
  well 
  to 
  both 
  species. 
  

  

  