138 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



Birds R^oosting. 



Everyone has watched caged canaries sleeping upon their perches, or 

 seen fowls at roost at night in the hennery. Wild birds roost and sleep 

 much in the same manner, but few observers have seen the wild bird with 

 its head under its wing. I have never been able to watch a wild sleeping 

 bird in the open, for the alert fellows always heard me when I tried to in- 

 spect their methods of sleeping on the perch. 1 believe all the perchers 

 sleep with their heads beneath the wing, but am not satisfied that all 

 species follow this plan. A captive barred owl was carefully watched, 

 but 1 could never catch him sitting with his head under his wing, though 1 

 visited him at all hours of the day and night. All of the young of the non- 

 precocious birds keep the eyes closed when young, and the nestlings of 

 the robin and young sparrows, as well as young canaries keep the eyes 

 closed most of the time until about ready to leave the nest. The young 

 of the praecoces, however, are ever alert, and I have noticed young of the 

 killdeer, plover and ruffed grouse, not more than two days old that used 

 their eyes, and feet too, to good advantage. 



Most birds have practices in roosting and these are but slightly varied in 

 a species. Strangely enough, many ground species, as the Turkey, al- 

 though nesting on the ground, make a practice of roosting in trees. 

 Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Wrens and several other species which build 

 in cavities often roost in holes. The smaller birds select the evergreen 

 as a good place to roost in cold weather, and I have frequently routed 

 dozens of sleepers from these situations in my investigations after dark. 

 The chimney swift is always gregarious in its habits when not engaged in 

 the duties of nesting, and in the spring and summer may be found roost- 

 ing in large chimneys, sometimes several hundred in one place, all hang- 

 ing onto the sides of the interior of chimney like a flock of bats, for x^hich 

 they are frequently mistaken by the ignorant. Ducks and all water birds 

 that 1 have been able to learn of differ in their choice at times. At certain 

 times ducks sleep upon the water, and again they range along the shore, 

 or as the wood duck, roost in trees, particularly in the nesting season. 

 The smaller shore birds roost in compact groups upon the shore, at least 

 this is so when they flock at the time of migrating. The Bob-white roosts 

 in family groups in the form of a circle on the ground with the heads pre- 

 senting outward. morris Gibbs, Mich. 



Have just received sample copy of June number of your publication. 

 So many papers of this nature have started only to give up after two or 

 three issues that I have hesitated about subscribing. This looks now as 

 if it had come to stay so send you one dollar for the two names enclosed. 



S. M. K. 



