﻿EDITORIAL 
  GLEANINGS. 
  275 
  

  

  apparently 
  only 
  those 
  which 
  nested 
  there. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  a. 
  change 
  

   in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Bradford 
  Rooks 
  indicated 
  that 
  all 
  these, 
  without 
  

   exception, 
  had 
  gone 
  to 
  roost 
  at 
  Brarnham. 
  Curious 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  the 
  

   Bramham 
  roost 
  was 
  like, 
  if 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  roost 
  at 
  Weston 
  had 
  

   gone 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  place, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  those 
  which 
  normally 
  roost 
  

   there, 
  I 
  and 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  friends 
  paid 
  a 
  visit 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  21st 
  November 
  

   and 
  witnessed 
  a 
  sight 
  which 
  was 
  really 
  extraordinary. 
  As 
  was 
  surmised 
  

   beforehand, 
  we 
  found 
  about 
  double 
  the 
  normal 
  number 
  there, 
  and 
  I 
  

   think 
  I 
  should 
  be 
  quite 
  safe 
  in 
  estimating 
  them 
  at 
  certainly 
  over 
  

   80,000. 
  We 
  were 
  favoured 
  with 
  a 
  most 
  beautiful 
  sunset, 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  

   bulk 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  had 
  gathered 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  towards 
  Harewood. 
  In 
  

   their 
  characteristic 
  manner 
  they 
  came 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  trees 
  to 
  roost 
  

   simultaneously 
  in 
  immense 
  battalions, 
  and 
  when 
  performing 
  their 
  

   final 
  evolutions 
  over 
  the 
  trees 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  look 
  round 
  in 
  any 
  

   direction 
  without 
  seeing 
  a 
  huge 
  black 
  drifting 
  snowstorm 
  of 
  Rooks 
  and 
  

   Jackdaws, 
  while 
  the 
  noise 
  they 
  made 
  is 
  better 
  imagined 
  than 
  described. 
  

   Paying 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Weston 
  on 
  December 
  6th, 
  about 
  twice 
  the 
  number 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  roosting 
  there 
  than 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  on 
  November 
  15th, 
  

   but 
  apparently 
  these 
  were 
  still 
  practically 
  all 
  local 
  birds, 
  there 
  being 
  

   several 
  large 
  rookeries 
  close 
  together, 
  and 
  no 
  signs 
  were 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   of 
  any 
  tendency 
  of 
  the 
  Bradford 
  Rooks 
  to 
  return 
  there. 
  It 
  was 
  about 
  

   the 
  11th 
  of 
  December 
  before 
  the 
  movement 
  back 
  to 
  Weston 
  really 
  

   began. 
  On 
  this 
  date 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  Rooks 
  and 
  Jackdaws 
  started 
  off 
  to 
  

   Bramham 
  as 
  usual, 
  and, 
  after 
  having 
  gone 
  a 
  little 
  way, 
  eight 
  Jackdaws, 
  

   after 
  much 
  discussion, 
  detached 
  themselves 
  from 
  the 
  flock, 
  and 
  went 
  

   to 
  Weston, 
  the 
  rest 
  proceeding 
  to 
  Bramham. 
  About 
  twenty 
  were 
  

   observed 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  Weston 
  on 
  this 
  date. 
  After 
  this 
  the 
  movement 
  

   quickly 
  gathered 
  force, 
  and, 
  on 
  paying 
  another 
  visit 
  to 
  Weston 
  on 
  

   December 
  20th, 
  nearly 
  half 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  were 
  roosting 
  here 
  again, 
  

   and 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  they 
  were 
  practically 
  all 
  back. 
  What 
  has 
  

   struck 
  me 
  most 
  forcibly 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  these 
  observations 
  is 
  the 
  

   remarkable 
  intelligence 
  displayed 
  by 
  the 
  birds. 
  Instinct, 
  as 
  usually 
  

   understood, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  plays 
  no 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  matter, 
  but 
  their 
  

   capacity 
  for 
  reasoning 
  (limited, 
  of 
  course) 
  is 
  evident 
  even 
  to 
  a 
  casual 
  

   observer. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  was 
  well 
  illustrated 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Jackdaws 
  just 
  men- 
  

   tioned. 
  On 
  another 
  occasion 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  were 
  feeding 
  

   in 
  afield, 
  when 
  a 
  tremendous 
  uproar 
  occurred 
  amongst 
  them, 
  every 
  bird 
  

   appearing 
  to 
  be 
  talking 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  after 
  which 
  half 
  of 
  them 
  left 
  for 
  

   Bramham, 
  the 
  remaining 
  half 
  staying 
  behind. 
  After 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  

   of 
  an 
  hour 
  these 
  without 
  hesitation 
  flew 
  off 
  to 
  Weston. 
  The 
  only 
  in- 
  

   ference 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  drawn 
  was 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  settled 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  

  

  