142 BEACH GRASS 



to enter the roost, others to subside on the hillside. 

 It was evident that the birds from time to time 

 had been diving into the roost. At 4.40 p. m. 

 it was rapidly growing dark and the tributary 

 streams were evidently dwindling. Only 50 

 went by the lighthouse in a minute. Five min- 

 utes later it was nearly dark and only a few be- 

 lated stragglers were hurrying to the concourse 

 on the hill. 



At 4.45 p. M., Dr. Tyler and I walked around 

 to the north of the roost, and, although we could 

 see nothing in the darkness, we could hear the 

 silken rustle of wings and feathers as the crows 

 were composing themselves for the night's rest 

 among the branches of the trees. The babble 

 of low conversational notes that went up from 

 the company suggested the sounds of a night 

 heronry, although c awing s and earrings were in- 

 terspersed with the kis and uks and ahhs. The 

 odor was that of a hen-yard. The temperature 

 in the grove, with its hundreds of corvine fur- 

 naces breathing out air heated to 105° or there- 

 abouts was probably distinctly higher than in 

 the open. We refrained from entering the 



