Rooks and Rookeries. By James Small. 161 



kestrel ; and on the other hand I have seen the robin drive off 

 the missel thrush when that large bird came near his nest. 



We have no birds so gregarious as rooks ; and though in their 

 assemblies at times in vast numbers in the air they do not in 

 their movements show the fine lines and curves made by the 

 plover tribe when congregated on the wing, it is still very inter- 

 esting to watch their movements ; the observer will notice that 

 when at a very great elevation they appear to fly round in an 

 almost stationary circle, the circle in reality slowly but gradually 

 moves in one direction, until all the birds disappear. "A 

 wedding of crows " is the old term applied to such gatherings. 

 Judging by their movements and cries the birds seem to be 

 greatly excited when so assembled. It is a common thing to 

 prognosticate a change of weather when rooks are seen wheeling 

 in those air flights ; and it is also usually prognosticated that a 

 change of weather is at hand when they are seen sitting closely 

 together on lea or stubble fields, and all utterly silent. On 

 many occasions after seeing such assemblages, I have carefully 

 watched for weather changes ; and with a few exceptions un- 

 worthy of note, any changes in the weather were of so ordinary 

 a nature as to call for no special remark. Books in vast num- 

 bers live constantly with us ; and they can store no food, and are 

 always within a comparatively short distance of their nightly 

 shelter ; so that whatever fore-sight they may possess as to com- 

 ing changes of weather, it can be of little or no practical advan- 

 tage to them. It is different with the migrant birds. They 

 shift north or south as the seasons change. In an extra early 

 spring or winter those birds shift their abode before the usual 

 time. They sometimes derive benefit from this, and occasionally 

 are injured by it. Swallows, for instance, often suffer greatly 

 by coming to us too early in the spring, when the flies on which 

 they feed are not numerously on the wing. 



It may be mentioned, however, that some observers have 

 noticed that when rooks that visit the sea shore in the morning 

 for feeding purposes do not fly inland shortly after feeding, but 

 remain by the shore for nearly all the day, it generally is rough 

 weather inland, however calm it may be by the sea. But the 

 great bulk of the rooks in the eastern Border counties live too 

 far inland for seaside visiting. Their movements either in flocks 

 or singly when seeking after food are easily understood ; but the 

 course of many of their other movements is quite beyond the 



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