"ROOK. 151 



ROOK. 



Corvus frugilegus. 



So much has been written respecting this species, that I have 

 little, or nothing, new to say about it. As it has been dis- 

 puted whether, or not, it feeds on carrion, I may state that I 

 have often seen it tugging away at the pieces of horseflesh 

 hung up by the keepers in the trees, as food for their dogs. 

 Several winters ago, in a deep snow, a fox carried ofl" three 

 pinioned Sea-GuUs from my own premises. I observed, in 

 three places in the meadow close to my house, several Rooks 

 busily engaged, and, on driving them off, I found the bodies 

 of the gulls, the head of each having been doubtless eaten by 

 the fox, the remainder being quite freshly torn about by the 

 Rooks. I left them, and the Rooks shortly returned, when, 

 with a binocular, I saw them swallow down several pieces of 

 the GulPs flesh. The Rook is very destructive in gardens, 

 digging up and devouring the crocuses and tulips ; it is also 

 particularly fond of green walnuts. Several years ago the 

 late Sir Percy Burrell, wishing to establish a Rookery at 

 West Grinstead Park, procured some boughs of trees with 

 nests containing young from about half a mile ofl^ and fixed 

 them in a clump of old oak in the aforesaid park. The 

 parents came there, and the young were brought up, and a 

 considerable Rookery is now established. 



There was, untU a few years ago, one of the largest 

 Rookeries in the county, at Woodmancote, The timber, 

 which was some of the finest oak in Sussex, was cut aboui 

 1876. All the birds of the smaller Rookeries, from long 

 distances, used to resort to this place in the winter, visiting 

 occasionally their own colonies to repair the nests. Since 



