408 Townsend, A Winter Crow Roost. [qJ£ 



duced in both of us a curious optical illusion. The light-house 

 and dunes seemed to be moving smoothly and swiftly from north 

 to south! 



At 4.37 P. M. a great cawing arose from the hillside and a black 

 cloud of birds rose up, some to enter the roost, others to subside on 

 the hillside. It was evident that the birds from time to time had 

 been diving into the roost. At 4.40 P. M. it was rapidly growing 

 dark and the tributary streams were evidently dwindling. Only 50 

 went by the light-house in a minute. Five minutes later it was 

 nearly dark and only a few belated stragglers were hurrying to 

 the concourse on the hill. 



At 4.45 P. M. Dr. Tyler and I walked around to the north of 

 roost and although we could see nothing in the darkness we could 

 hear the silken rustle of wings and feathers as the Crows were 

 composing themselves for the night's rest among the branches of 

 the trees. The babble of low conversational notes that went up 

 from the company suggested the sounds of a Night Heronry al- 

 though cawings and earrings were interspersed with the Ms and uks 

 and ahhs. The odor was that of a hen-yard. The temperature 

 in the grove, with its hundreds of corvine furnaces breathing out 

 air heated to 105° or thereabouts, was probably distinctly higher 

 than in the open. We refrained from entering the thicket, for any 

 attempt to do so aroused the birds to flight. 



In the dim light we could make out that the hillside field be- 

 tween the roost and the sea was still blackened with birds that were 

 continually rising up and entering the trees. Some of them perched 

 temporarily on the bare tops of the hard woods where they were 

 visible against the sky. The noise and confusion were great. It 

 would seem as if the roost was so crowded that the birds had to 

 wait their time for a chance to get in and that a constant shifting of 

 places and crowding was necessary before the Crows could settle 

 in peace for the night. Hence the prolonged and varied conversa- 

 tion; hence the profanity. 



It was an intensely interesting experience, this observation of 

 the return of the Crows to their night's lodgings, and one wished, 

 for eyes all about the head, well sharpened wits to interpret and a 

 trained assistant to take down notes. How many birds spent the 

 night in the roost? That is a difficult question to answer, but a 



