See CORVUS, ORNITHOLOGY Index.

Rooks are very destructive of corn, especially of wheat. They search out the lands where it is sown, and watching them more carefully than the owners, they perceive when the seed first begins to shoot up its blade; this is the time of their feeding on it. They will not be at the pains of searching for it at random in the fowling land, for that is more trouble than so small a grain will requite them for; but as soon as these blades appear, they are by them directed, without loss of time or pains, to the places where the grains lie; and in three or four days' time they will root up such vast quantities, that a good crop is often thus destroyed in embryo. After a few days the wheat continuing to grow, its blades appear green above ground; and then the time of danger from these birds is over; for then the seeds are far robbed of their mealy matter, that they are of no value to that bird, and it will no longer give itself the trouble to destroy them.

Wheat that is sown too early as to shoot up its green blades before the harvest is all carried in, is in no danger from these birds; because while it is in a state worth their searching for, the scattered corn in the harvested fields is easier come at, and they feed wholly on this, neglecting the sown grain. But as this cannot always be done, the farmers, to drive away these ravenous and mischievous birds, dig holes in the ground and stick up the feathers of rooks in them, and hang up dead rooks on sticks in several parts of the fields: but all this is of very little use; for the living rooks will tear up the ground about the feathers, and under the dead ones. ones, to steal the seeds. A much better way than either is to tear several rooks to pieces, and to scatter the pieces over the fields; but this lasts but a little while, for the kites and other birds of prey soon carry off the pieces and feed upon them. A gun is a good remedy while the person who has it is present; but as soon as he is gone, they will return with redoubled vigour to the field and tear up every thing before them.

The best remedy the farmer has is to watch well the time of the corn's being in the condition in which they feed upon it; and as this lasts only a few days, he should keep a boy in constant pay to watch the field from daybreak till the dusk of the evening. Every time they settle upon the ground to fly over it, the boy is to holloa, and throw up a dead rook into the air; this will always make them rise; and by degrees they will be so tired of this constant disturbance, that they will seek out other places of preying, and will leave the ground even before the time of the corn's being unfit for them. The reason of their rising at the tossing up of their dead fellow creature is, that they are a bird extremely apprehensive of danger, and they are always alarmed when one of their comrades rises. They take this for the rising of an out-bird, and all fly off at the signal.