away ; but, as soon as it rose, one of tlie others swooped at it like 
a Hawk, and knocked it to the ground, ily brotlier then sent 
a boy to pick it up, and found that it had been killed quite dead 
by the blow. Last year we heard some curious facts about Rooks 
in India : let mo tell you the history of two tame ones, which 
my boys picked up two years ago, blown out of their nest. They 
were kept in a little aviary just outside my study door, and 
aflorded strong oral and nasal evidence of their existence. Mrs. 
E. Sparke, with whom wo were living at Ilockwold Hall, took 
a great fancy to them. She fed them with soaked broad out 
of a doll’s spoon. One of them, in its voracity, hoUed spoon and 
all one day. I5y a prompt application of linger and thumb, 
the spoon was retrieved from the lowest deidhs; but for a long 
time that bird could not speak out of a whisper. Tlie birds grew 
lusty and strong, except that one never was able to make a good 
lly of it, as the feathers in his wing which had been cut did not 
moult clean. They lived entirely out of doors. I say entirely, 
that is, when wo could keep them out ; for, at last, we had to put 
wire-netting to tlie drawing-room window, as they insisted upon 
coming in, and sitting upon the chair-backs. These Rooks came 
from a rookery in the rectory grounds, about a quarter of a mile 
ofl. ihere was a branch of it in the trees round the garden at 
the hall ; and, I think, this is the curious part of the story, that, 
tliough the tame Rooks were fed regularly in tlie garden, yet I 
never saw one ot the wild Rooks come down to feed with them, 
or attempt to carry off any of their food. All through the next 
breeding-season the wild Rooks took no notice of the tame birds, 
or the tame birds of them. It was a dead cut. I doubt much 
il, up to this tune, the tame birds had ever gathered any food 
for themselves. They would follow :Mrs. Sparke like a dog. 
Ihey would often come and sit on the dining-room window-ledge, 
and tap at the glass. Anybody in the room might get up, and 
they would take no notice; but as soon as Mrs. Sparke moved, they 
would set up their wings, and begin to squall at once. In the 
autumn !Mrs. Sparke moved to Feltwell, two miles off. The 
Rooks, after being shut up for a day or two, were let out in the 
