174 Roohs and Rookeries By James Small. 



The rookeries reported as having been destroyed are : — 

 In Berwickshire, 4. 



„ Northumberland, 12. 

 ,, Eoxburghshire, 6. 

 ,, Selkirkshire, 1. 



„ Peeblesshire, 5. 



Total 28. 

 Area of — Berwickshire in square miles, 464. 

 —Northumberland, „ 1952. 



— Eoxburghshire, „ 670. 



—Selkirkshire, „ 260. 



— Peebleshire, ,, 356. 



Total square miles, 3702. 



From want of dates it is impossible to say what the increase 

 has of late years been in the number of rookeries, for as wUl be 

 observed, the dates given are few in regard to either the com- 

 mencement or the destruction of the same. 



There has, however, within the last thirty years been beyond 

 all doubt a vast increase in the number of rooks. The nests in 

 many rookeries have to my own knowledge been more than 

 doubled in number ; first by the increase of nests on the indivi- 

 dual trees, and next by taking in of new adjoining trees for nest- 

 ing purposes. 



The following query was sent out : ''Do you consider rooks are 

 much more numerous now than twenty five years ago?" In the 

 returns received from Northumberland only six correspondents 

 reply in the negative. From Berwickshire, there is one "no" ; 

 and Mr Macpherson, Mellerstain, states that he thinks "the 

 rooks here rather decreased of late years." From the counties 

 of Selkirk and Peebles there is not one statement to the effect 

 that they have not increased. For Eoxburghshire, two gentle- 

 men in Upper Teviotdale report that they have decreased, and 

 one in Lower Eoxburghshire gives a similar report for his own 

 neighbourhood ; and two simply answer *'no" to the query. A 

 number of gentlemen did not reply to the query, giving as a rea- 

 son that they had not given attention to the matter. 



The replies in the affirmative as to the increase of rooks are 

 as ten to one compared with those in the negative ; and many of 

 those who write stating that the increase is very large complain 



