4326 Birds. 



some large elm and fir-trees almost overhanging the house, and in 

 which two or three pairs of aristocratic rooks, despising the common 

 herd, had established their nests, looking down on the more imme- 

 diate domain, which they considered doubtless as the Court end 

 of the town, and exclusively belonging to themselves. Hither came 

 the young fly -away s, and remained in safety until, in the progress of 

 time, it became their turn to mate and return to the ash-tree coppice 

 for the purpose of nidification. This happy system continued year 

 after year with no interruption, except for the few days during the 

 pie-making season before mentioned. 



Towards the latter end of the autumn, as is the custom with rooks, 

 they pay a visit to the rookery, just to look over the premises and see 

 that all is in a proper state for early reparation when the pressure of 

 circumstances in the ensuing spring requires such matters to be im- 

 mediately attended to. As usual, in the beginning of the month of 

 March last, many rooks came to the ash coppice in the corner of the 

 meadow, and began repairing their nests, stealing materials from those 

 of their friends and relations, unless most vigilantly watched by their 

 respective owners ; and thus proceeded matters for some short time, 

 until the better part of four or five nests were partially completed and 

 many others begun, when suddenly a stop was put to all further in- 

 dustry on the part of the more diligent rooks, and their operations 

 abandoned ; and in the same proportion as the nests ceased to 

 be built and renewed in this favourite spot, they increased in the ori- 

 ginal rookery on the other side of the valley, and also in the place 

 where the Court end of the town was supposed to exist, until, in 

 the latter place the nests, from two or three originally built there, 

 have now increased to sixteen, with a likely prospect of a further 

 addition. But why this sudden change and abandonment of the for- 

 mer locality, a proceeding so unusual in rooks ? Some powerful and 

 overwhelming cause must have arisen, but what occasioned it seemed 

 a mystery, until it was discovered that a couple of carrion crows had, 

 after the device of the Emperor of all the Russias, seized upon 

 the rooks' provinces, and expelled them from their long-previously 

 ^occupied dominions. At first, the rooks objected to this intrusion of 

 their two sable enemies, and refused to quit ; but the loud, sepulchral, 

 and warning voice of the crows bade them beware, and forthwith give 

 place to these usurpers. Frightened at such threats and fearful 

 denunciations, the rooks gave up and left the foreigners in possession 

 of their much-loved home ; and whenever a rook, thinking the coast 

 might be clear, ventured to return to the half-finished nests, one or 



