Clamour in the Rookery If the rookery was quiet and
deserted before the new year, it is far from it now. The clamour that goes on all day must weary the birds themselves. The young are hungry. The parents go to and fro in search of food, and the noise of a hundred or more birds cawing and squawking comes across -the fields undiminished, it seems, until one stands by the rookery and hears the din at close range. The nettles and ,brambles beneath the trees are spattered with lime. The debris of twigs and litter weighs down the grass. As much material strews the ground as would make as many nests again, but it is not often that the rooks come down to the floor of the wood in which they live. Soon the youngsters will be in danger, for rook-shooting will begin. The killers of rooks use small-bore rifles, which make less noise than a shot-gun. The young rooks arc an easy target, and the death-roll is of ten great.
Previous page
