Pray, are not
rooks the same with crows?
_Mr. S._ They are a species of crow. But they differ from the carrion
crow and raven, in not feeding upon dead flesh, but upon corn and other
seeds and grass, though, indeed, they pick up beetles and other insects
and worms. See what a number of them have alighted on yonder ploughed
field, almost blackening it over. They are searching for grubs and
worms. The men in the field do not molest them, for they do a great deal
of service by destroying grubs, which, if suffered to grow to winged
insects, would injure the trees and plants.
_F_. Do all rooks live in rookeries?
_Mr. S._ It is their nature to associate together, and they build in
numbers of the same, or adjoining trees. They have no objection to the
neighbourhood of man, but readily take to a plantation of tall trees,
though it be close to a house; and this is commonly called a rookery.
They will even fix their habitations on trees in the midst of towns.
_F_. I think a rookery is a sort of town itself.
_Mr. S._ It is--a village in the air, peopled with numerous inhabitants;
and nothing can be more amusing than to view them all in motion, flying
to and fro, and busied in their several occupations.
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