Ingenuity of Rooks in Nest-building 2 1 5 



rooks who settle at a distance from their city seem long 

 before they can please themselves. The ingenuity exer- 

 cised in the selection of the bough and in the placing of 

 the twigs is certainly very remarkable. When the wind 

 blows furiously you may see the nest moving gently, riding 

 on the swaying boughs, while one of the birds perches on 

 a branch close by, and goes up and down like a boat on 

 the waves. Except by the concussion of branches beating 

 hard against the nest, it is rarely broken ; up to a certain 

 point it would seem as if the older nests are the firmest, 

 perhaps because of their weight. Sometimes one which 

 has been blown down in the winter — when the absence of 

 protecting leaves gives the wind more power on them — 

 retains its general form even after striking against branches 

 in its descent and after collision with the earth. 



Elms are their favourite trees for building in. Oak 

 and ash are also used, but where there are sufficient elms 

 they seem generally preferred. These trees, as a rule, 

 grow higher than any others ordinarily found in the fields, 

 and are more frequently seen in groups, rows, or avenues, 

 thus giving the rook facilities for placing a number of 

 nests in close neighbourhood. The height of the elm 

 affords greater safety, and the branches are perhaps better 

 suited for their purpose. 



After building in an elm for many years — perhaps 

 ever since the owner can remember — rooks will suddenly 

 desert it. There are the old nests still ; but no effort is 

 made to repair them, and no new ones are made. The 

 winds and storms presently loosen the framework, about 

 which no care is now taken, and portions are blown down. 

 Then by-and-by the discovery is made that the tree is 

 rapidly dying. The leaves do not appear, or if they do 

 they wither and turn yellow before Midsummer : gradually 



