Easy Prey 219 



three-quarters of a mile or more away from home. It is 

 rare for old rooks to get shot, for the reason above stated : 

 they rise into the air out of reach. Those that are killed 

 are generally such as have lingered in the hope to save a 

 young bird, and are mistaken and shot as young them- 

 selves. 



Young birds may be easily distinguished by their slow 

 uncertain flight and general appearance of not knowing 

 exactly where to go or what to do. They are specially 

 easy to pick out if you see them about to perch on a tree. 

 They go at the tree anyhow, crash in among the branches, 

 and rather fall on a perch than choose it. The old bird 

 always enters a tree carefully, as if he did not like to ruffle 

 his feathers, and knew precisely what sort of bough he 

 preferred to settle on. Close to the rookery there is no 

 need to wait to pick out the young birds, because they 

 are all sure to be young birds there ; but, as observed, old 

 birds will linger with young ones at a little distance, and 

 may then be mistaken — as also on the following day, when 

 sportsmen go round to pick up the outsiders, and frequently 

 come on old and young together. The old bird will not 

 sit and let you aim at him perching ; if you shoot him, it 

 must be on the wing. The young bird will sit and let you 

 pick him off with a crossbow, and even if a cartridge singes 

 his wing he will sometimes only hop a yard or two along 

 the boughs. 



Though hard hit and shattered with shot, they will 

 cling to the branches convulsively, seeming to hang by 

 the crook of the claw or by muscular contraction even 

 when perfectly dead, till lifted up by a shot fired directly 

 underneath, or till the bough itself is skilfully cut off by 

 a cartridge and both come down together. The young 

 feathers being soft, and the quills not so hard as in older 



