SIGNS OF AUTUMN 233 



lings and other garrulous species seem to argue 

 emphatically at bedtime, and must be supposed to 

 use very bad words to each other ; but in this 

 respect individuals appear to differ, some being 

 comparatively amiable, and others cantankerous 

 and pugnacious. Possibly, however, the com- 

 plainers have been despoiled of accustomed perches 

 by stronger companions. In the lodging-houses 

 of the birds are no doorways nor first-floors : the 

 ivied trees are innocent of social preferences ; but 

 there are snug corners betwixt the branches, undis- 

 turbed by storms, and inaccessible even to the cat ; 

 and here the stronger birds locate themselves. 

 There are also treacherous twigs liable to be 

 snapped by a gust, leaky roofs penetrated by rain 

 and the drip of the trees, damp walls that breed 

 fungi ; and the birds appreciate these differences. 

 At first thought it seems strange that many 

 birds which associate during the day, finding 

 advantage in their mutual vigilance, such as 

 sparrows, chaffinches, greenfinches, and buntings, 

 should have separate roost-places. In severe 

 weather in winter they are all occasionally found 

 in ricks ; but generally most of them separate. 



