﻿110 
  

  

  THE 
  VE 
  ETE 
  BE 
  ATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  injuriously 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  rooks. 
  But 
  while 
  thousands 
  of 
  old 
  

   rooks 
  were 
  killed, 
  and 
  their 
  young 
  in 
  greater 
  numbers 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  perish 
  of 
  hunger 
  in 
  the 
  nests, 
  the 
  farmers 
  found 
  that 
  their 
  

   crops 
  still 
  went 
  wrong, 
  and 
  that 
  insect 
  pests 
  became 
  even 
  

   more 
  abundant 
  ; 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  associations 
  have 
  sunk 
  out 
  

   of 
  sight, 
  and 
  no 
  wonder. 
  What 
  more 
  interesting 
  sight 
  is 
  there 
  

   than 
  to 
  watch 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  rooks 
  walking 
  sedately 
  over 
  a 
  field 
  

   in 
  spring, 
  and 
  turning 
  over 
  each 
  clod 
  and 
  stone 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  

   various 
  forms 
  of 
  insect 
  life 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  for 
  the 
  

   farmer 
  to 
  check, 
  and 
  whose 
  ravages 
  often 
  frustrate 
  the 
  agri- 
  

   culturist's 
  best 
  endeavours. 
  The 
  rook 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  

   most 
  useful 
  allies, 
  and 
  is 
  worth 
  a 
  few 
  potatoes 
  or 
  stalks 
  of 
  

   corn 
  at 
  times 
  when 
  grubs 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  to 
  meet 
  

   their 
  needs. 
  

  

  We 
  cannot 
  omit 
  repeating 
  what 
  is 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  rook 
  by 
  the 
  

   writer 
  of 
  the 
  report 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Drumoak 
  as 
  it 
  appears 
  

   in 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A., 
  pp. 
  877-8. 
  "The 
  myriads 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  

   belong 
  to 
  this 
  rookery 
  and 
  inhabit 
  it 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  

   except 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  in 
  summer 
  when 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  migrate 
  in 
  quest 
  of 
  mountain 
  berries, 
  are 
  not 
  

   only 
  of 
  great 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  around, 
  

   but 
  from 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  incubation 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  at 
  

   which 
  their 
  young 
  become 
  capable 
  of 
  providing 
  for 
  themselves, 
  

   they 
  are 
  particularly 
  so 
  to 
  the 
  farmers 
  in 
  their 
  immediate 
  

   neighbourhood, 
  for, 
  being 
  unable 
  at 
  that 
  period 
  to 
  go 
  far 
  from 
  

   their 
  nests 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food, 
  they 
  are 
  daily 
  seen 
  actively 
  

   employed 
  in 
  turning 
  clods 
  and 
  clearing 
  of 
  vermin 
  the 
  newly 
  

   sown 
  fields, 
  so 
  that 
  few 
  complaints 
  are 
  heard 
  in 
  this 
  parish 
  of 
  

   the 
  destructive 
  ravages 
  of 
  grubs." 
  Although 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   rook 
  was 
  thus 
  clearly 
  pointed 
  out 
  in 
  1843, 
  is 
  it 
  not 
  sad 
  to 
  find, 
  

   even 
  in 
  this 
  new 
  century, 
  people 
  still 
  so 
  blind 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  

   interest 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  wantonly 
  shoot 
  down 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  

   best 
  friends? 
  

  

  Corvus 
  corax, 
  Linn. 
  Raven. 
  "Corbie." 
  

  

  This 
  fine 
  bird 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  extinction 
  in 
  " 
  Dee," 
  

   where 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  it 
  was 
  abundant. 
  " 
  This 
  bird 
  was 
  

   very 
  common 
  about 
  sixty 
  or 
  seventy 
  years 
  ago." 
  (George 
  

   Sim, 
  MS. 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Fyvie.) 
  Mr. 
  John 
  M'Bain, 
  

   late 
  head 
  keeper 
  to 
  Lord 
  Aberdeen, 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  some 
  

  

  