. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. WHITE FOIJEHEAD OF THE llOOK. 397 braiicli forcibly upwards, and then suddenly releases it, so as to jerk the cones fnjm their steins by the recoil. The practice of terrifying Roolcr, by means of scarecrows has already been mentioned, tnfptlier with its usual failure. Even the bodies of slaughtered Ifooks suspended l'ri)ni sticks have but little effect on these audacious birds, who may be seen very unconcernedly searching below the carcases for the beetles and other carrion-eating insects that
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. WHITE FOIJEHEAD OF THE llOOK. 397 braiicli forcibly upwards, and then suddenly releases it, so as to jerk the cones fnjm their steins by the recoil. The practice of terrifying Roolcr, by means of scarecrows has already been mentioned, tnfptlier with its usual failure. Even the bodies of slaughtered Ifooks suspended l'ri)ni sticks have but little effect on these audacious birds, who may be seen very unconcernedly searching below the carcases for the beetles and other carrion-eating insects that are always found in such localities. The surest way to frighten the Rooks by means of dead comrades is not to hang them up in a position which every Rook knows is not likely to be assumed by any of its friends, and therefore conveys no intimation of alarm to its logical mind, but to lay them flat upon the earth with outstretched neck and spread wings as if they lind fallen dead from something evil in the locality. Another useful method is to iinst a number of sticks in double rows and connect them with each other by strings tied in zigzag fashion, when it will be found that the Rooks are so suspicious of a trap, that they will not venture to enter any of the angles so formed. The second subject of controversy is the presence of a bare white skin \ipon the forehead of the adult Rook and the base of its neck, those portions being clothed with feathers during the bird's youth. The general opinion was, that the bird, by constantly delving in the soil, wore off all the featliers, only leaving the white skin behind. This solution of the problem was current for a long time, until some observer remarked that the base of the bill showed no particular marks of hard wear; that the bald space extended behind the line of the eyes, so that the bird could not possibly plunge its beak to so great a depth ; that the white skin was evidently an intentional arrangement, and was too well defined a
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectnaturalhistory
