THE ROOK. 
291 
foundation of sticks, upon which the softer substances are laid. The interior of the nest is 
made of grasses, fibrous roots, the hair of cows and horses, which the Crow mostly obtains 
from trees and posts where the cattle are in the habit of rubbing themselves, mosses, and 
wool. The eggs are extremely variable, or rather individual, in their markings, and even in 
their size, those in my own collection being so different from each other that an inexperienced 
person would set them down as belonging to different species. The Crow very seldom uses 
the same nest for a second breeding season, although it often repairs to the same locality year 
after year. Once or twice it has been known to lay its eggs on the same foundation as it had 
employed during the previous season, but in general it pulls the former nest to pieces, and 
constructs a fresh one on its site. 
This bird is remarkable for its attachment to its mate and young, far surpassing the fawn 
and turtle-dove in matrimonial courtesy. 
The Somali Arabs bear a deadly hatred towards the Crow, and kill it whenever they meet 
with it. The origin of their detestation is as follows : During the flight of Mohammed from 
his enemies, he hid himself in a cave, where he was perceived by the Crow, at that time a 
Light-plumaged bird, who, when it saw the pursuers approach the spot, sat over Mohammed’s 
hiding-place, and screamed, “ Grhar ! ghar ! ” i. e., “ Cave ! cave ! ” so as to indicate the place 
of concealment. His enemies, however, did not understand the bird, and passed on, and 
Mohammed, when he came out of the cave, clothed the Crow in perpetual black, and ordered 
it to cry “ghar” as long as Crows should live. When they have killed a Crow, the Arabs 
remove the gall, employing it for the manufacture of collyrium, or dye for the eyelids. 
The color of the Crow is a uniform blue -black, like that of the raven, but varieties are 
known in which the feathers have been pied or even cream-white. 
The most familiar of all the Corvidae is the common Rook, a bird which has attached 
itself to the habitations of mankind, and, in course of time, has partially domesticated itself 
in his dominions. 
The Rook may claim the doubtful honor of having originated two of the most pertinacious 
and persistent ornithological controversies on record. The subject of the first is its conduct 
towards man — whether it is to be looked upon as a feathered benefactor, or must be ranked 
among the “vermin.” This dispute has now been carried on for many years, and finds as 
many and as eager advocates on both sides of the question as on the day on which it was 
started. The second controversy is quite as fierce as the former, and has lately revived with 
tenfold vigor, the subject being the cause and effect of the naked white skin which is found at 
the base of the Rook’s beak. Before proceeding further, we will just say a word or two on 
these interesting discussions. 
Firstly, as to the relation in which the Rook stands to mankind with regard to its conduct. 
It is thought by many persons of practical experience that the Rook is one of the greatest 
enemies to the farmer, eating up his grain as soon as planted, pecking up his potatoes and 
devouring all the “ sets,” boring holes in his turnips, and altogether doing exceeding mischief 
in the fields. The farmer, therefore, detests the “blackening train” of Rooks with a very 
heartfelt hatred, and endeavors by all kinds of contrivances, such as scarecrows, boys with 
noisy clappers, and loud voices, or even the gibbeted dead bodies of slaughtered Rooks, 
to keep them off his grounds. Whenever he can find a chance he shoots them, but the bird is 
so cautious that very few Rooks fall victims to the agricultural gun. The gamekeepers 
also hate the Rook as a persecutor of their charge, and in truth the Rooks have been actually 
seen engaged in the destruction of young partridges, and one of them was shot with the prey 
still in its beak. 
Moreover, the Rook has been seen to attack a hen pheasant while sitting on her eggs, 
to pull the feathers out of the mother bird, and to destroy her eggs, having evidently been 
attracted to the spot by the large bunch of hay-grass amid which the nest had been placed, 
and which had been left standing by the mowers in order to afford a shelter to the poor bird. 
So much for the one side of the question ; we will now proceed to view the Rook from a 
more favorable point of view. 
