the ground ; they un- 
earth young potatoes ; 
they devour green r 
walnuts. On the other 
hand, they destroy 
enormous numbers of 
such insect pests as 
wireworms, “ leather- 2 
jackets,” and the grubs of the cock- 
chafer. These creatures live at the 
roots of cultivated plants, and cause 
enormous damage. They cannot be | 
found and destroyed until the mis- by Pe ee Na 
chief is done. But Rooks pull them 
out of the ground literally in millions. And by so doing 
they preserve us from losses far greater than those of which 
they themselves are the cause. 
They are curious birds, and in some ways are highly 
intelligent. They have their own laws, for example, which 
are strictly enforced. Young Rooks, when they first pair, 
are not allowed to nest where they please. They must nest 
in certain trees, which are regarded as belonging to the 
colony. If they do not, their homes % eare pulled to 
obliged to 
It is regarded 
pieces, and they are 
build again. 
as a. great 
for a Rook 
crime, too, 
to steal a 
