200 CORVID.E 



Although indigenous in this country and permanent 

 residents, the contemplation of the migratorial habits of 

 these birds on the continent of Europe leads us to observe 

 some slight affinity with the purposes of migration in 

 their manners in England, namely, that at stated periods 

 of the year, their habits undergo a partial change, in 

 order to procure what in other countries they obtain by 

 migration, — warmth and shelter. About October these 

 birds are often observed to congregate in large flocks about 

 their nest-trees, where they appear restless and busy, circling 

 round and round, rising and falling in the air, and apparently 

 preparing for some unusual movement. After spending 

 some days in this manner, they assemble in a vast body, 

 consisting often of the members of more than one rookery, 

 and depart to some distant woods, where they take up their 

 quarters for the night, and which they continue to inhabit 

 nightly while winter lasts, but return every morning to their 

 customary feeding-grounds, "which are generally in the vici- 

 nity of their nesting-trees, where they feed until evening ; and 

 are again about sunset seen to return to their woods for the 

 night. 



About the middle of March, Rooks begin again to resort 

 to their nesting- trees, which are usually the loftiest trees 

 in an avenue or an isolated clump of forest trees in 

 a park or Avood, generally in the vicinity of a village, 

 or some venerable manorial residence. These colonies 

 return to the same rookery annually to breed, and are 

 often of older standing than the memory of man can 

 trace ; and it is probable that nothing but the eventual 

 decay and removal of the trees to which they are accustomed 

 will cause them to desert a spot resorted to for ages by their 

 ancestors. 



It has often been a subject of vague speculation with 

 us what becomes of the many birds that are every year brought 



