276 Wild Life in a Southern County. 
gives a hop, just opens his wings, shuts them, and 
descends within a couple of feet. ‘Cawk!’ again. 
Finally, if you turn from your course and make a step 
towards him, he rises, flaps his wings three or four 
times, extends them, and glidesa dozen yards to alight 
once more. 
Sometimes a flock will rise in the air, and silently 
wheel round and round after each other, gradually 
ascending and drifting slowly with the current till they 
reach a great height. When they soar like this it is 
said to foretell fine weather. At another time a flock 
will go up and wheel about in the strangest irregular 
manner. Every now and then one will extend his 
wings, holding them rigid, and dive downwards, in his 
headlong descent wavering to and fro like a sheet 
of paper falling edge first. He falls at a great pace, 
and looks as if he must be dashed to pieces against a 
tree or the earth; but he rights himself at the last 
moment, and glides away and up again with ease. 
Occasionally two or three rooks may be seen doing 
this at once, while the rest whirl about as if possessed; 
and those that are diving utter a gurgling sound like 
the usual cawk prolonged—‘ caw-wouk.’ These antics 
are believed to foretell rough winds. 
The rook, like other broad-winged birds, often 
makes much leeway in flying, though there be only a 
moderate wind. The beak points in one direction, 
in which the bird is apparently proceeding, but if 
observed closely it will be found that the real course 
