NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
137 
Bug or Summer Chafer {Rhizotrogus sohtilialis) out of the turf otj my lawn, a 
beetle which, though not so formidable a pest as the cockchafer {Melolontha 
vulgaris), does much injury to the roots of grass and other crops, hence its 
name Rhizotrogus or root - eater, and in some seasons it is very numerous. 
Sparrows often steal these insects from thrushes, and try the same trick on star- 
lings, but with very little success, as they find them far too sharp. Starlings fre- 
quently dispossess thrushes and blackbirds of prey they have just unearthed, 
and, like many other birds, are much given to taking away food from each other. 
Market H'eston, Thetford, Edmund Thos. Uaubeny. 
January 7, 1900. 
Migration of Rooks. — These birds may be seen flying over Lowestoft 
from the sea in October and November. They arrive singly or in company, but 
not in great numbers at a time, perhaps two or so in the course of a morning. 
No doubt the same occurs all along the coast. They do not keep at any great 
height, and fly in an unconcerned, easy manner, as if bent on nothing extraordinary. 
In this locality there were a far greater number of rooks at the end of the )'ear 
than usually belong to the neighbourhood. Early in the spring these strangers 
congregated in great numbers on some large fields five miles from here, and 
after doing considerable damage to the crops, suddenly disappeared. 
Market IVeston, Thetford, Edmund Thos. Daubenv. 
May, 1901. 
Rooks Planting Fir Cones. — A friend and his wife, both of whom are 
good observers, have related to me how, when staying in Ross-shire, last autumn 
they watched rooks planting fir cones in the moor. They buried them in the 
ground in a systematic and regular manner, and were constantly to be seen flying 
with a fir cone in their bills. I have never seen these birds engaged in a similar 
manner. Perhaps some readers of Nature Notes may be able to tell us if it a 
common habit. 
Market Weston, Thetford, Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
Alay, 1901. 
Rooks. — Is there any truth in the popular belief that, if young rooks are 
not shot down, the old birds may desert the rookery? 
Cheam, Surrey. Charles Bethell. 
Jackdaw and Blackbird. — We were sitting in the garden yesterday when 
we heard several alarm calls from a blackbird. Thinking the cause was prob- 
ably the appearance of a cat we hastened to the field adjoining. To our astonish- 
ment the alarm was caused by a jackdaw, who descended on a poor young 
blackbird, and taking it up in his claws he carried it off. The other young 
blackbird flew off after his parents. The incident is not a pleasing “ trait ” in 
the jackdaw’s character. 
Foxton Vicarage, Ca?nbs., A. M. Greenwood. 
June 8. 
The Cornish Chough. — It is but little use to write unless some steps can 
be taken to protect birds from the marauder. I ask Mr. Ilext Harvey to petition 
the Cornwall County Council to protect this bird, which it is in their power to do. 
W. F. Collier. 
Sad end of Missel Thrush. — About the middle of March a pair of missel 
thrushes, doubtless the same pair of which mention was made in Nature Notes 
for September, 1900, p. 175, built a nest in a beech tree in my garden. This nest 
was blown down by one of the high winds then prevailing, and they built a second 
nest in another beech tree. This one shared the same fate just after completion. 
I have reason to believe a third one was begun and again blown down. Their 
next move was to a birch tree not ten yards from the front door of my house. 
Here a nest was completed, high up in a fork, over thirty feet from the 
ground, about April 13, and from this time the hen could be seen sitting during 
the fortnight up to the 26th. The night of the 26th was bright moonlight, and 
the bird was on the nest when the house was locked up for the night. At this 
time, some large bird could be heard (but not seen) flying overhead. I am 
