DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 27 



August, proved to be wet and disagreeable. An east wind with 

 storm kept the sun bade and rain was not infrequent. How- 

 ever I succeeded in getting some detailed memoranda of their 

 arrival and departure. 



My first glimpse of the roost was at 4.30 p. m. on the 24th, 

 and at that time there were no birds in sight. A walk beneath 

 the trees revealed no signs of feathers or dead birds to indicate 

 the presence of enemies. At five o'clock no birds had ap- 

 peared, and the first intimation that there would be any gather- 

 ing came twenty minutes later, when two flocks of Crackles, 

 numbering twenty and twenty-five birds, alighted in the tops of 

 some spruce trees in a yard close bj'. A few stragglers followed, 

 but in a few minutes all flew away together. 



At 5.34 o'clock six Robins arrived, and at 5.50 o'clock two 

 Cowbirds, the vanguard, settled in the trees. A little later two 

 flocks of Crackles entered the roost. These did not as the first 

 settle on the neighboring trees, but wheeled and alighted 

 directly in the roost. Robins and Cowbirds continued to come 

 in small scattered flocks, but the main arrivals were Crackles. 

 The last of these noted arrived at 6.05 o'clock. Almost imme- 

 diately the Cowbirds began to gather ; the first flock of any con- 

 sequence arriving at 6.06 o'clock, and numbering about fifty. 

 Flocks of these birds continued to come until 6.30 o'clock, 

 when only a few stragglers were to be seen. The Robins were 

 now coming in increasing numbers from every direction, often 

 at considerable height, until immediately over the roost, and 

 then by a series of flight manoeuvres settling either directly in 

 the roost or on the trees and telephone wires close by. The 

 Robins could be seen coming in loose, scattered flocks of eight 

 to fifteen, or else singly, but never in compact flocks like the 

 Crackles and Cowbirds, which, except for a few stragglers, came 

 in flocks of 25 to 250. 



On the next day the east wind was still blowing, the clouds 

 were hanging low, and there was more rain. At 5.00 a. m. 

 the Robins were chirping and beginning to leave the roost. A 

 few minutes later a flock of Warblers was heard flying toward 

 the south. I took my stand on the southwest corner, where I 

 had a good view of the roost, and attempted to count the birds 



