144 BEACH GRASS 



tering the roost beginning at one o'clock and con- 

 tinuing until a quarter of five. The largest of 

 these was from the south, the next largest from 

 the west and the smallest from the north. The 

 greatest flight occurred in the hour before dark. 

 From counts made in the stream from the south 

 this flow averaged at least a hundred in a min- 

 ute or 6000 in the hour. If we suppose that an 

 equal number arrived in the combined western 

 and northern streams there would be 12,000 oc- 

 cupants in the roost, a very moderate estimate, 

 I believe. 



Crows were not the only species that sought 

 refuge for the night in these evergreens. At 

 half-past four a starling was seen flying thither. 

 But the great flight of starlings appeared shortly 

 after four. There were about two hundred of 

 them — a mere nothing compared with the enor- 

 mous multitudes that are soon destined to in- 

 habit these regions, for the European starling, 

 introduced in some evil moment to these new 

 lands of the Western Hemisphere, is increasing 

 by leaps and bounds. This flock of two hun- 

 dred starlings flew by with a whistling of wings 



