162 ROBIN ROOSTS. 



of one fellow, who came from the south at 

 a great altitude, and went directly over the 

 wood. When he was well past it he sud- 

 denly pulled himself up, as if fancying he 

 had caught a signal. After a moment of 

 hesitation he proceeded on his northerly 

 course, but had not gone far before he met 

 half a dozen birds flying south. Perhaps 

 he asked them the way. At all events, he 

 wheeled about and joined them, and in half 

 a minute was safe in port. He had heard 

 of the roost, apparently (how and where ? ), 

 but had not before visited it. 



This count of August 18th was the last 

 for nearly a month, but I find a minute of 

 August 27th stating that, while walking 

 along the highway on the westerly side of 

 the roost, the side that had always been 

 the least populous, I saw within less than 

 two minutes (as I calculated the time) more 

 than eighty robins flying toward the wood. 

 Up to this date, then, there could not have 

 been any considerable falling off in the size 

 of the gathering. Indeed, from my friend's 

 observations upon the Belmont roost, to be 

 mentioned later, it seems well-nigh certain 

 that it was still upon the increase. 



