Rook-Poachers. any 
The young birds are occasionally stolen from the 
nests, notwithstanding the difficulty of access. Young 
labourers will climb the trees, though so large that 
they can scarcely grasp the trunk, and with few 
branches, and those small for some height ; for elms 
are often stripped up the trunk to make the timber 
grow straight and free from the great branches called 
‘limbs.’ Even when the marauder is in the tree he 
has some difficulty in getting at the nests, which are 
placed where the boughs diminish in size. Climbing- 
irons used to be sometimes employed for the purpose. 
As elm trees are so conspicuous, these thieving prac- 
tices cannot well be carried on while it is light. So 
the rook-poachers go up the trees in the dead of 
night ; and asthe old rooks would make a tremendous 
noise and so attract attention, they carry a lantern 
with them, the light from which silences the birds. 
So long as they can see a light they will not caw. 
The time selected to rob a rookery is generally 
just before the date fixed for the shooting, because the 
young birds are of little use for cooking till about 
ready to fly. The trick, it is believed, has often been 
played for the mere pleasure of spiting the owner, the 
very night previous to the rook-shooting party being 
chosen. These robberies of young rooks are much 
less frequent than they used to be. One reason why 
those who possess any property in the country do not 
like to see a labouring man with a gun is because 
he will shoot an old rook (and often eat it), if he gets 
