3^b Brewster on Robin Roost?. [October 



"Now, although these observations were all made on one 

 family of Robins, I have no doubt that they show, when taken in 

 connection with the other facts, that the early flights to the roost 

 are composed of the first brood young together with the old 

 males. The later augmentation of the roost will come from the 

 younger broods plus the females. What possibilities are sug- 

 gested — if this be so — through the persistence of mutual relations 

 between the old males and their offspring! The old birds must 

 guide the young birds to the old roosting ground, and who shall 

 say that this hegemony of the roost may not continue in a greater 

 or less degree throughout the season? I do not mean to imply 

 that each parent takes his own offspring in tow — but the nightly 

 re-union of old and young en masse cannot but be an education 

 for the youngsters. It was a revelation to me to find the male 

 Robins taking care of their younger broods and wives by day, 

 and going off" nightly to sleep with their elder children !" 



Most of the roosts which I have visited are resorted to by other 

 birds besides Robins. The Little River colony always included 

 some Bronzed Grackles and Cow Buntings, the former, to the 

 number of a thousand or more, coming in all together in a single 

 flock, or in two or three flocks closely following one another, the 

 latter, perhaps half as numerous, arriving in a succession of flocks 

 containing from twenty to thirty birds each. There were Swal- 

 lows, also, in varying numbers. All these species alighted with 

 the Robins and, as nearly as I could ascertain, passed the night 

 among them. At the Falmouth roost there are quite as many 

 Grackles as Robins (about two hundred of each), and the two 

 species certainly roost together in the densest part of the cedars, 

 although the Grackles arrive in one great flock, whereas the 

 Robins drop in singly or in small parties after their usual fashion. 

 There are also a good man)' Cowbirds besides a fair number of 

 Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Kingbirds. The Cowbirds 

 come in small flocks, and at first alight in the cedars, but soon fly 

 down to, and doubtless pass the night in, some dense thickets of 

 pepper-bush (Clethra alnifolia) which form a fringe around 

 the edges of the swamp. The Norton roost accommodates 

 a few Grackles and some Orioles (/. galbula). On one oc- 

 casion I saw fully ^ fifty of the latter settling themselves for the 

 night in the undergrowth nearly beneath the oaks where the 

 Robins congregate. At the Longwood roost there are Orioles, 



