Country Life
THE DEGENERATE ROOK.
Naturalists, as well as game-preservers, are growing distressed in some neighbourhoods over the increasing wickedness of the rooks. They have taken to bird's-nesting. Individual birds have been watched deliberately and methodically hunting along hedgerows, like an owl ; but the owl, in general, is seeking mice or beetles ; and these rooks are seeking the eggs of ground-nesting birds. On one estate they were caught almost redhanded—or yellow-beaked- destroying partridges' eggs. Rooks were seen, that is, hunting the hedge, and immediately afterwards three clutches of partridges' eggs were found broken and sucked du. The keepers in those parts allege that the rooks are the worst enemy of all, more destructive than carrion crows or magpies or stoats. Inquiry was made into the accusation by sports- men who did not believe it ; but the charge was proved to the hilt.
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