270 Birds. 
expense in getting Books back again. Young Rooks are 
good eating, but should be skinned before they are 
dressed. The colour is black, but brighter than that of 
the crow, which the Rook resembles in shape. The 
female lays the same number of eggs; and the male 
shares with her the trouble of fetching sticks, and inter- 
weaving them to make the nest, an operation which is 
attended with a great deal of fighting and disputing with 
the other Rooks. 
New comers are often severely beaten by the old inha- 
bitants, and are even frequently driven quite away ; of 
this an instance occurred near Newcastle, in the year 
1783. A pair of Rooks, after an unsuccessful attempt to 
establish themselves in a rookery at no great distance 
from the Exchange, were compelled to abandon the at- 
tempt, and take refuge on the spire of that building ; and, 
though constantly interrupted by other Rooks, the)' 
built their nest on the top of the vane, and reared their 
young ones, undisturbed by the noise of the populace be- 
low. The nest and its inhabitants were of course turned 
about by every change of the wind! They returned 
and built their nest every year on the same place, till 
1793, soon after which year the spire was taken down. 
A small copperplate was engraved, of the size of a watch- 
paper, with a representation of the spire and the nest ; 
and so much pleased were the inhabitants and other per- 
sons with it, that as many copies were sold as produced 
to the engraver a profit of ten pounds. The woodcut 
by Bewick, in the title-page to his Select Fable givess, a 
view of the old Exchange, with the Rook's nest on the 
vane. 
It is amusing to see Rooks coming at sunset as thick 
as a cloud hovering over a grove, and, after several 
eddies described in the air, and incessant cawings, each 
repairing to its own nest, and settling in a few minutes 
to rest, till the dawn calls them up again to their pas- 
ture in the neighbouring fields. 
Dr. Darwin has remarked, that an. instinctive feeling 
of danger from mankind is much more apparent in Rooks 
than in most other birds. Any one who has in the least 
observed them will see that they evidently distinguish 
