160 ROBIN ROOSTS. 
the flight I could keep a lookout upon only 
one side of me, and, moreover, the gather- 
ing darkness was by that time making it 
more and more difficult to see any birds ex- 
cept such as passed above the dark tree line; 
and from what went on just about me, it was 
evident that the number of arrivals was in- 
creasing rather than diminishing as my count 
fell off. There seemed to be no good reason 
for doubting that at least two thousand rob- 
ins entered the wood at the eastern end. 
Two nights later I stationed myself in 
the meadow southwest of the roost. Here 
I counted but 935 entries. The movement 
appeared to be fully as steady as on the op- 
posite side, but as darkness came on I found 
myself at a great disadvantage; a hill occu- 
pied the background, giving me no illumi- 
nated sky to bring the birds into relief, so 
that I could see only such as passed close at 
hand. Of the 935 birds, 761 came before 
seven o'clock, but it was reasonably certain 
that the flight afterward was nearly or quite 
as great, only that I wanted light wherewith 
to see it. 
On the evening of August 4th I went back 
to the eastern end, and as the sky was per- 
