24 EXPOSED AND CONCEALED ANIMALS 



At one place in particular, a small lighthouse 

 islet off the south-west coast named Barberyn, 

 which is covered by a coconut plantation, they 

 congregate in the palm trees alternately by night 

 and by day. If one crosses over to the island 

 in the heat of the day all is quiet and nothing 

 out of the common is to be noted ; but about 

 the time of sunset a great commotion of crows l 

 among the tree tops bursts upon the ear, and 

 gradually subsides in the dusk of the evening. 

 This signalises the arrival home of the colony 

 of crows after their day's work is over. The 

 approach of sunrise, on the other hand, is 

 announced by the chattering and squabbling 

 of numerous flying foxes 2 overhead. 



At sundown the passage of immense flocks 

 of crows and flying foxes in opposite directions 

 across the strait which divides the island from 

 the mainland can be witnessed, the former 

 bound for the island to rest for the night, the 

 latter speeding their way to the mainland intent 

 upon their nocturnal forage. The flying foxes 

 travel on the average distinctly higher than 

 the crows, starting singly and increasing to 

 large flocks of twenty-five and upwards, finally 

 becoming a continuous stream. The crows 

 obviously outnumber the bats, although weight 

 for weight they probably represent an equiva- 



1 The grey-necked Indian crow, Coruus splendens 



2 Pteropus medius. 



