the Book in East Lothian. 49 



stands Birmie Wood*, the oldest and noblest of all our woods, 

 the tenantry, daring a period of thirteen years, assessed them- 

 selves in the sum of ,£142 14s. 7d. to pay for the destruction of 

 76,655 rooks : about that time they began to attack the turnip 

 in the winter season, and it was believed that these birds arrived 

 in vast flocks from the north on the approach of winter, and 

 departed again in spring f. I think this is extremely probable, 

 and after observing the comparative difficulty that the Rook has 

 in obtaining subsistence during inclement winters of the present 

 sera, with all the modern luxuries of turnip and newly-sown 

 wheat, I have no doubt that there was a time when the Rook was 

 a regular migrant from Scotland. 



During the present century rooks have increased so much in 

 most parts of this county, as to become a serious nuisance to 

 agriculture ; few proprietors have allowed their rookeries to be 

 destroyed, though in general they permit the young to be killed 

 when nearly fledged. In 1845, Lord Elcho kindly permitted 

 the nests in the extensive rookery in Aimesfield park, near Had- 

 dington, to be taken down in the month of March, by a gang 

 of men paid by the tenantry ; few birds ever returned to breed 

 in their favourite grove ; no harm, but, on the contrary, much 

 good resulted to the neighbouring fields from its destruction. 

 During open weather in winter, rooks find subsistence by attend- 

 ing' on the ploughs, in turning over the droppings of cattle, and 

 in digging for insects and worms in pasture fields: they are 

 welcome to the gleanings of our stubbles, and above all to the. 

 seeds of the wild oat, Avena fatua, that terrible scourge of some 

 of our finest corn lands, to obtain which they will sometimes 

 stock up young clovers, and even feed upon the latter during 

 hard weather. Within the last ten or twelve years they have 

 begun to attack the turnip, even in open weather, and this valu- 

 able root is never safe until carried off the field ; water lodges in 

 the perforations, and decay soon follows in our changeful climate. 

 But all the damage that they do to other crops is but small when 

 compared to their ravages on wheat, the staple production of the 

 county, and of which a large breadth is annually sown at various 

 periods, and at different elevations above the sea, from the 1st 

 of October to the end of March. From the day that the seed 

 is sown until the young plant has exhausted the seed and ac- 

 quired a firm hold on the ground, the crop is never safe from 

 their ravages ; and if the herd-boy is not armed with a gun, the 

 flock will merely fly up on his near approach and again alight 

 on the same field. If a knoll or hill-side is swept bare of snow 



* Planted by the Earl of Haddington in 1720. His Countess sold her 

 jewels to defray the expense. 



t See General View of the Agr. of E, Lothian (1794), pp. 141, 142. 



B.N.C.— VOL. HI. N°. I. E 



