KOOK.
year. I have never met with any unusually large bodies of Rooks on tho south coast during nutuinn or
winter, or an increase to the regular fraternities that inhabit the rookeries in the neighliourliood of the coast.
I n seven- weather it frequently happsni that a general movement of mixed multitudes of small birds takes
place along the south coast from east to west; and among the countless swarms of fugitives, I have on several
occasions uoticed a few scattered parties of Rooks. They were not, however, in sufficient numbers to represent
anything approaching to even a partial migration.
Every observer who takes an interest in uur native birds must be thoroughly conversant with the breedings
habits of this species. Elm, oak, and beech are perhaps the trees to which they mostly resort for nestingpurposes
in the south ; though in the outskirts of Brighton a few broods are annually reared in both Scutch
and silver firs. In the exposed glens or the north and west I have found them making us.- of stunted
bushes of alder, and also firs bent and twisted by the constant gales. On one occasion in Caithness, after
liehig banished from the rookery they inhabited, in consequence of their depredations on the Grouse eggs, the
poor birds nested out on the open moors, trees being scarce in the neighbourhood. Tin- cradle of the Rook is
loo well known to need minute description; it is, however, occasionally most amusing to watch the architects
collecting the materials. Though the greater portion of the sticks they make use of arc picked up from the
ground or stolen from their neighbours, many twigs are broken off the tries in the vicinity of the rookery.
If small or dead, the birds meet with little difficulty in detaching them, though a lough and unmanageable
liough is now and then seized hold of. The first attempt to snap off the coveted portion having failed, the
bird after hovering round, usually selects a fresh perch, and resolutely gripping the twig between bismanilildes
again Haps off, endeavouring by the sudden strain to effect his purpose. Frequently, owing to his exertions,
ihe small pieces he may already have collected are dropped; hut he almost invariably returns to the attack,
each succeeding attempt being characterized by slill greater impetuosity.
A severe gale of wind, while the young are in the nests, is often attended with disastrous consequences to
the juvenile occupants of the rookeries. The terrible hurricane or April 29, 1882, must have destroyed many
thousands of young birds in the southern counties of England.
Youug Rooks are looked upon as by uo means di-spicable articles of food, aud liud a ready market in most
parts of England. I am unable to answer for the truth of the report that lltey furnish the component parts of
-eon-pies that are manufactured in town during the season they are procurable; hut
r the Tact that large consignments are Frequently forwarded to Loudon from certain quarters as
soon as the annual slaughter has taken place.
Tho familiar caw of the Rook is heard alike in tuwn and country ; then! is, however, another eall-notu
which the bird occasionally utters when on wing, and this hears a strong resemblance to the cry of one of the
larger Culls. It is usually in the early spring that I have detected this wild note. The extraordinary
noises that this curious bird produces, while attempting to exercise its vocal powers by singing, appear to have
aeoewei the notice of most writers. It is probable that I might have remained in ignorance of this accomplishment,
had not a certain old male pinched himself regularly for several successive days on the chimney of my
sanctum, in order to go through his matutinal performance. Happening early one fine bright muraing to
he seated near tho fireplace, u most peculiar grating sound, evidently the note of u bird, caught my ear.
This strange melody somewhat resembled tho well-known chattering note of the Starling (often to be heard
on the same spot), though more varied and far loader. On obtaining uu out-of-door view of the songster,
1 discovered a Rook on the chimney-pot indulging in the most eccentric antics, and at the same time
i-iviug utterance to the marvellous combination of notes that had first attracted my attention*.
* 1 !I •• who hive kept II <• finch™ in confinement will readily bu lulu t . I::. ... • • i pti I i in . the lingular ntlitudea ummed,
ii well ai llie coulortwni gone through, bjr thrao bird* while linglni being iluiotl identical with whit I witnemed. Though w-nowhnt • imUir,
ibe toundi produced were, of cuuw, more powerful.
BOOK. 6
This apeak* appears not unfrequenily to exhibit curious mal format ions of the beak. I have on two occasions
seen binls flying past with elongated or twisted mandibles ; and on shooting one in (llcnlyon, in Perthshire,
I discovered that the beak was curved downwards, and much rcRcmhhsl that of a Chough, only far thicker and
at leasl nu inch longer. It was apparently a bird of the year, slill retaining the feathers over Ihe hill.
The adult Book (as all observers must he well aware) exhibits a patch of scurfy skin over and round the
sides of the bill; this bare apace appears at a short distance of a dirty white tint. Iu the young bird,
immediately after leaving the nest, this space is covered with black feathers or bristles. It is usually allowed
that this sign of immaturity disappears after the lirst moult, when the young bird is supposed to become
similar in appearance to the adult. I am of opinion that still further attention will have to he given to this
subject before the Iruth is arrived at. The eye of the young bird on leaving the Beat is of a dull slate tint, and
differs considerably from Unit of tin- adult, which is a dark butej. Alter a few weeks tho iris ohaages and
assumes the same colour as in the mature bird. 1 mention this fact, as it appears to have escaped the notice
of all writers.
Tho old-fashioned idea that the absence of feathers was caused by the bird thrusting its bill into the
ground, while digging for worms and grubs, has, I believe, long been proved a fallacy. The bare scurfy skin
round the linse of Ihe mandibles is evidently the natural slate, though the date at which it is assumed may
possihly he doubtful, should there lie any foundation for the theory of those writers who assert that observations
made on birds in captivity are not to In- relied upon *.
In the adult the colour of the interior of the mouth aud tongue is a dull slate, while in the young
immediately after leaving the nest it is of a deep red flesh tint. I have repeatedly roared Kooks from the neat to
ascertain at what age tin- bristles were thrown off aud the slate tint of the mouth assumed. Little or no
difference was detected in any case Unit was carefully Watched. The followiugis the result of observations on a
young bird taken from the nest in May The colour of the interior of the month coiniucncisl lo change
aliout the end of Ihe first year, when the bird was probably nine months old. The tongue and the iulerior of
the luaudiblcs first showed the slate tint, which gradually spread over Ihe roof uf the mouth (detached spots
appearing iu the first instance) and finally reached the throat. The guild, at till age-, is of a dark flesh lint.
This change in colour was accomplished in about three mouths, the mouth being thoroughly slate-liut<-J by the
time the bird was a year old. Towards the end of April U 8 S , a law of the bristles nailer the beak wen- lost;
none of thoso on the upper mandible had, however, as yet disappeared. During t i c lirst and second » eeks in
May, small bare patches showed on the u]qier mandible, though the whole surface did not exhibit Ihe usual
whit.' scurfy appearance of the adult till well on in July. 1( was not till Ihe middle of August thai the Last
signs of the bristles had completely vanished.
The statement that young birds lose the feathers over the base of the beak at the first moult can scarcely
lie correct, or there must be not unfivqucut exceptions to the rule. Not n single specimen that 1 have had tho
opportunity of examining in captivity has changed at that age; and during the earlier mouths or the year I
have ut various titiies met with specimens exhibiting the black feathers over the hill.
Itcing anxious to gain information concerning the number of Rooks showing black beaks in Sussex
during spring, I closely examined every party met with on the downs iu April 1SS2. Though some
thousands of birds were carefully inspected, I could only positively identify llirec specimens iu this stage.
On April 2nd a bird on wing skimmed past so close that the feathers and bristles were visible to the naked
eye. On the (lib 1 remarked another in Ihe same state. This bird nqicaledly Hew after an adult searching
for food on the downs ; and although it did not flutter its wings in the manner of the young when first taking
after their parents, it gave the impression il was following the old bird for what it could get. Nothing,