﻿EDITORIAL 
  GLEANINGS 
  271 
  

  

  " 
  Until 
  September 
  sets 
  in 
  the 
  Rooks 
  do 
  not 
  leave 
  their 
  rookeries 
  to 
  

  

  roost, 
  and 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  leaving 
  depends 
  not 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  weather, 
  but 
  on 
  

  

  the 
  situation 
  of 
  the 
  rookery. 
  If 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  well 
  sheltered 
  and 
  quiet 
  

  

  they 
  are 
  later 
  in 
  leaving 
  than 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  an 
  exposed 
  situation, 
  but 
  before 
  

  

  October 
  is 
  well 
  advanced 
  they 
  have 
  got 
  settled 
  down 
  to 
  their 
  winter 
  

  

  habits. 
  Until 
  March 
  comes 
  round 
  again 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  our 
  Bradford 
  

  

  Rooks 
  go 
  to 
  roost 
  at 
  Weston 
  Park, 
  near 
  Otley, 
  to 
  which 
  place 
  they 
  

  

  repair 
  every 
  winter 
  afternoon, 
  and 
  come 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  rookeries 
  

  

  each 
  morning, 
  with 
  the 
  striking 
  exception 
  mentioned 
  later. 
  The 
  

  

  journeys 
  backward 
  and 
  forward 
  form 
  a 
  most 
  important 
  item 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  daily 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  During 
  the 
  shortest 
  days 
  the 
  journey 
  back 
  

  

  occupies 
  frequently 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  varying, 
  of 
  course, 
  with 
  

  

  the 
  distance 
  to 
  be 
  travelled, 
  the 
  start 
  usually 
  being 
  made 
  either 
  from 
  

  

  their 
  own 
  rookery 
  or 
  the 
  near 
  neighbourhood. 
  At 
  first 
  sight 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  matter 
  of 
  surprise 
  that 
  two, 
  three, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  four 
  hours 
  should 
  

  

  be 
  occupied 
  in 
  doing 
  a 
  journey 
  of 
  about 
  ten 
  miles, 
  which 
  in 
  straight 
  

  

  flight 
  could 
  be 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  Rook 
  in 
  about 
  twenty 
  minutes. 
  The 
  

  

  mystery 
  is, 
  however, 
  explained 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  followed 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  direction 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  go, 
  and 
  shows 
  very 
  strikingly 
  how 
  fond 
  the 
  

  

  Rook 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  company 
  of 
  his 
  fellows. 
  The 
  route 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  bulk 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Bradford 
  birds 
  is 
  over 
  Baildon, 
  Hawksworth, 
  and 
  Menston. 
  

  

  Instead 
  of 
  going 
  straight 
  forward, 
  a 
  call 
  is 
  paid 
  on 
  the 
  Baildon 
  Rooks, 
  

  

  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  here 
  idling 
  about, 
  doing 
  very 
  little 
  

  

  feeding, 
  but 
  carrying 
  on 
  a 
  vigorous 
  conversation 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  time. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  afternoon 
  progresses 
  another 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  

  

  Menston, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  performance 
  gone 
  through. 
  By 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  

  

  numbers 
  are 
  very 
  considerably 
  augmented, 
  and 
  as 
  batch 
  after 
  batch 
  

  

  arrives 
  excitement 
  and 
  conversation 
  increase, 
  the 
  birds 
  flying 
  about 
  

  

  in 
  flocks, 
  perching 
  in 
  the 
  tree-tops, 
  or 
  standing 
  about 
  in 
  large 
  groups 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  gradually 
  working 
  towards 
  Burley. 
  

  

  " 
  Paying 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  a 
  Rook-roost 
  on 
  a 
  winter's 
  afternoon, 
  one 
  is 
  

   immediately 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  Rooks, 
  and 
  this 
  becomes 
  

   more 
  manifest 
  as 
  darkness 
  draws 
  on, 
  and 
  still 
  no 
  birds 
  put 
  in 
  an 
  

   appearance. 
  Here 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  another 
  striking 
  feature 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  this 
  matter. 
  Instead 
  of 
  coming 
  into 
  the 
  loosting-trees 
  on 
  

   arriving 
  at 
  their 
  journey's 
  end, 
  they 
  gather 
  up 
  perhaps 
  a 
  mile 
  away 
  in 
  

   the 
  fields, 
  or 
  perched 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  trees, 
  many 
  flocks 
  having 
  perforce 
  

   to 
  fly 
  right 
  over 
  the 
  roosting-trees 
  to 
  join 
  their 
  companions, 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  

   almost 
  too 
  dark 
  to 
  see. 
  They 
  then 
  come 
  over 
  in 
  one 
  huge 
  body, 
  

   making 
  very 
  little 
  noise 
  until 
  over 
  the 
  actual 
  roosting-trees, 
  and 
  then 
  

   burst 
  into 
  the 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  noise 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  imagine. 
  

  

  