159 



Rooks and Rookeries. By James Smail, Kirkcaldy. 



" He buildeth his nest with a watchful skill, 



And biddeth his mate well fare, 

 And tendeth the wants of his younglings all 



With a parent's tend'rest care ; 

 And bravely he breasts the blasts of life, 



Howe'er so rough they blow ; 

 E'en many a man full much may learn 



From the homely old corn crow." 



The Crow tribe are widely diffused over the world ; and in the 

 Border counties we have five distinct species : the Eaven, Car- 

 rion Crow or Blackneb, Hooded Crow, Eook or Whiteneb, and 

 Jackdaw. 



The only Border haunt of the raven known to the writer is 

 Henhole, a very deep corrie, with here and there perpendicular 

 cliffs, on the north side of the Great Cheviot, and down which 

 flows the highest branch of Colledge Water, there always ink- 

 black from the inflow of water from the mossy land which for 

 many square miles covers the somewhat flat top of that high 

 mountain. Any one visiting Henhole is certain to see the 

 ravens which nest there ; for at a great elevation they may be 

 seen slowly wheeling in wide circles ; and they invariably draw 

 attention by uttering their deep croaking call. They are very 

 shy wild birds, though when tame they are amusingly familiar. 

 Forty years ago there was a tame raven at the High Street 

 brewery, Jedburgh, which among other accomplishments could 

 so fairly imitate the trumpet-call made daily by the guard of the 

 Chevy Chase coach as it bowled along the street, that not unfre- 

 quently people rushed out-of-doors thinking the coach was 

 passing, but only to find master Ealph had been indulging in a 

 little private trumpeting. The raven, though a very powerful 

 and in emergencies a very bold bird, is, especially in a wild 

 state, very harmless. It seldom molests a sickly lamb ; and we 

 know of no instance in which it has been known to attack a 

 sickly sheep The same cannot be said of several of the lesser 

 of the corvine birds. 



Carrion crows are at the present time very numerous in the 

 Cheviot Hills ; and to this may be attributed to a very consider- 

 able extent the falling-off in the numbers of blackgame and 

 grouse in the district. On some of the western Cheviots where 

 thirty five years ago blackcock shooting yielded excellent sport, 



