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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  sight 
  is 
  enough 
  to 
  delight 
  the 
  least 
  enthusiastic 
  of 
  nature 
  

   lovers. 
  The 
  birds 
  in 
  their 
  thousands 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  gathering 
  dark- 
  

   ness 
  perfectly 
  regularly 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  fuss, 
  almost 
  covering 
  the 
  sky, 
  

   the 
  noise 
  caused 
  by 
  their 
  wings 
  resembling 
  the 
  rushing 
  of 
  wind 
  

   through 
  the 
  trees. 
  They 
  circle 
  round 
  and 
  perform 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  evolu- 
  

   tions 
  over 
  the 
  tree-tops, 
  all 
  the 
  while 
  the 
  Books 
  keeping 
  up 
  their 
  

   cawing, 
  and 
  the 
  Jackdaws 
  their 
  'jock'-ing, 
  until 
  the 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  

   mind 
  of 
  the 
  observer 
  is 
  truly 
  bewildering. 
  It 
  takes 
  them 
  about 
  fifteen 
  

   minutes 
  usually 
  to 
  settle 
  down, 
  which 
  they 
  do 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  topmost 
  

   branches 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  but 
  the 
  noise 
  is 
  kept 
  up 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  almost 
  the 
  

   whole 
  night 
  through. 
  With 
  the 
  first 
  glimmer 
  of 
  dawn 
  they 
  are 
  away 
  

   again, 
  reaching 
  their 
  rookeries 
  so 
  early 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  people 
  the 
  impression 
  

   they 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  The 
  contrast 
  

   between 
  the 
  morning 
  flight 
  home 
  and 
  the 
  afternoon 
  flight 
  to 
  roost 
  is 
  

   very 
  marked, 
  but 
  the 
  Rook 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  believer 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  bird 
  catching 
  

   the 
  worm, 
  and 
  consequently 
  puts 
  off 
  social 
  matters 
  until 
  later 
  in 
  

   the 
  day. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  order, 
  however, 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  more 
  accurate 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  reason 
  

   for 
  this 
  roosting 
  habit, 
  I 
  have 
  followed 
  up 
  the 
  Rooks 
  in 
  other 
  districts 
  

   within 
  reasonable 
  distance 
  from 
  Bradford, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  

   various 
  friends, 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  locate 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  roosts, 
  

   which 
  are 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  map. 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  am 
  justified 
  in 
  stating 
  that 
  

   the 
  following 
  list 
  represents 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  roosts 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  

   marked 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Weston 
  Park. 
  Bretton 
  Park. 
  

  

  Bramham 
  Park. 
  Nostell 
  Park. 
  

  

  Ripley 
  Park. 
  Red 
  House 
  Wood, 
  Moor 
  Monck- 
  

  

  Thieves' 
  Gill, 
  near 
  Ripon. 
  ton. 
  

  

  Eshton 
  Park, 
  Gargrave. 
  Bishop 
  Wood, 
  near 
  Selby. 
  

  

  " 
  At 
  ' 
  Crow 
  Nest,' 
  Lightcliffe, 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  rookery, 
  well 
  sheltered 
  

   and 
  quiet, 
  where 
  the 
  local 
  birds 
  occasionally 
  roost 
  in 
  winter. 
  This 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  an 
  exceptional 
  case, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  fed 
  

   by 
  the 
  owner 
  in 
  hard 
  weather 
  will 
  possibly 
  be 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  

   this. 
  At 
  other 
  times, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  they 
  

   roost 
  at 
  Bretton, 
  the 
  Rooks 
  in 
  the 
  Halifax 
  district 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   place. 
  

  

  The 
  characters 
  of 
  these 
  places 
  may 
  perhaps 
  be 
  more 
  clearly 
  stated 
  

   in 
  tabular 
  form 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  