184 
The Animal-Lore of Shafospeare’s Time. 
This evil-disposed bird was much commoner than the 
raven. It closely resembled that bird in its habits and in 
appearance, and, like the raven, was regarded with super¬ 
stitious awe by the country people. In his list of the 
birds of Norfolk, Sir Thomas Brown includes “rooks, 
crows, as every where also the pied crow, with dun and 
black interchangeable.” Moryson, in his History of 
Ireland, 1600, says that “Ireland hath neither singing 
nightingale nor chattering pie, nor undermining mole, nor 
black crow, but only crows of mingled colour, such as 
we call royston crows ” (vol. i. p. 368). Derrick, in his 
Image of Irelande , makes a similar observation:— 
“ No pies to plucke the thatch from house 
Are bred in Irishe grounde; 
But worse then pies the same to burne 
A thousand maie be founde.” 
The rook is seldom mentioned by early writers, which 
may be accounted for by the fact that the 
terms crow and rook were often used indis¬ 
criminately. When Shakspeare makes Troilus announce 
that— 
“ The busy day, 
Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows,” 
he is probably recalling the effect of sunrise on the 
rookery near the village green at Stratford, 
According to Harrison, crows, or more probably rooks, 
met with but little protection or encouragement at the 
hands of the country people - 
“Neither are our crowes and choughs cherished of purpose to. 
catch up the woormes that breed in our soiles (as Polydor supposeth) 
sitli there are no uplandish townes but have (or should have) nets of 
their owne in store to catch them withall. Sundrie Acts of Parlement 
are likewise made for their utter destruction, as also the spoile of other 
ravenous foules hurtful to pultrie, conies, lambs, and kids, whose 
valuation of reward to him that killeth them is after the head: a 
devise brought from the Goths, who had the like ordinance for the 
