A COMMUNITY OF ROOKS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] the Spectator of March 22nd, you were kind enough to insert some notes on the above subject : may I follow up the interesting history? I stated that the pair whose nest had been destroyed were rebuilding, one of them now guarding the nest. The day after the nest had been destroyed, two pairs of rooks, and a single bird, took up their position on a -tree at one side of that in which the nest was being rebuilt. Of these, one pair set about building at once, the other pair remaining inactive. A pair also settled on the tree at the other side of the rebuilding nest, they too being inactive. The female bird of the original pair sat, as already stated, by her nest, the male bird coming, now with material for his work, now with food for his consort, which he gave her affectionately (I think she must have been injured in one of the melees). After a time, it was clear that
the two inactive pairs of birds were simply bent on mischief,— one of them would perpetually rise, make a swoop round and a sudden dart at the nest of our old friends, whereupon Madame would flop quickly upon her property, as much as to say : If you want to interfere with my house, you must trample on my body.' Now, I found out what the single bird wanted; he was unquestionably a policeman, a fine big fellow too, with a large beak ; if one of the mischief-makers attempted to rest on the tree where the rebuilding was going on, or if two attempted to attack the nest together, up got the policeman, went at the offenders, and made them clear off, then quietly returning to his perch, always the same bough. This went on for about three days. The birds on the tree to the left of the original nest disappeared, and have not returned; the second pair on the tree to the right gave up mischief, and began to build assiduously on their own account; finally, the policeman, having established order, retired.
I notice that this colony send daily orderlies with messages to Compton Place, about half-a-mile distant, where the main rookery is established ; these orderlies invariably start from the tree on which the first scouts, to which reference was made in my former letter, rested ; and it is on and adjacent to this tree that the greatest number of nests have been built. There can be no doubt as to where these orderlies are going, for, instead of circling about with loud cawing, like the birds who are only exercising themselves or looking out for food, they dart off silently in a straight line for Compton Place. One day a messenger returned with foar birds to strengthen the detachment, and took each pair direct to trees arranged on for them, on which so far there had been no building arrange- ments. I alluded in my former letter to the evident doubt on the part of the pioneers to the fitness of some trees for building on. I would note that the two trees about which they so often consulted, although large and strong, and, to unrook-like eyes, open to no objection, remain untenanted, while smaller trees adjoining them on either side have been built upon. My original friends have completed their nest, apparently, and are at peace; both birds worked at it the last day or two.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Previous page
