TINKLING GRAKLE. 223 



rose as by common consent, and flew in an immense 

 flock to the number of nearly two hundred, to the 

 roosting place, darkening the air, and making a loud 

 rushing with their united wings. Others went on to 

 arrive, until between four and five hundred, (I could 

 not count very accurately) had assembled. Long be- 

 fore this, however, I had found that the real roosting 

 place was not the large cotton-tree, that this was 

 but another station of congregation, for as the 

 evening advanced, they began to leave this, and 

 to perch on the fronds of four or five cocoa-nut 

 palms that were growing in two lines, of which 

 the cotton-tree was the angle. The nearest trees 

 to this point were first chosen, and few chose the 

 second, till the first was pretty well crowded, nor 

 the third till the second was occupied, and finally 

 the numbers on each cocoa-nut were in proportion 

 to its proximity to the central point. 



The taking of places was attended with much 

 squabbling ; the alighting of each new comer on 

 a frond, causing it to swing so as greatly to dis- 

 compose the sitters already in possession, and 

 throw them off* their balance ; and hence each was 

 received by his fellows with open beaks, and raised 

 wings to prevent his landing. Still, many thrust 

 themselves in among others, pecking right and 

 left in self-defence. The highest horizontal fronds 

 were most in demand, and many of these had at 

 the close as many as ten or twelve birds each, sitting 

 side by side in a sable row. When once the birds 

 had left the cotton-tree, and selected their places 

 on the palms, they did not return, but places were 



