These lines Mr. Stangrove repeated pointing up to a rookery, as he was walking in an avenue of tall trees, with his son Francis.
Francis. Is that a rookery, papa?
Mr. Stangrove. It is. Do you hear what a cawing the birds make?
Fr. Yes; and I see them hopping about among the boughs. Pray, are not rooks the same with crows?
Mr. St. They are a species of crow; but they differ from the carrion crow and raven in not living upon dead flesh, but upon corn and other seeds, and grass. They indeed pick up beetles and other insects and worms. See what a number of them have lighted on yonder ploughed field, almost blackening it over.
Fr. What are they doing?
Mr. St. Searching for grubs and worms. You see the men in the field do not molest them, for they do a great deal of service by destroying grubs, which, if they were suffered to grow to winged insects, would do much mischief to the trees and plants.
Fr. But do they hurt the corn?
Mr. St. Yes, they tear up a good deal of green corn, if they are not driven away. But upon the whole, rooks are reckoned the farmers’ friends; and they do not choose to have them destroyed.
Fr. Do all rooks live in rookeries?