156 BEACH GRASS 



unusual bird on a sandy shore. There is 

 certainly more than chance coincidence in 

 these three instances, which, I believe point 

 to the faithfulness of the survivor of a pair. 



During the greater part of the day the roost 

 is deserted, but there is much to be learned of 

 the ways of the crow even under these conditions. 

 Pellets and droppings are everywhere on the 

 ground under the trees as well as in the sur- 

 rounding fields, and they are especially obvious 

 when the ground is covered with snow. The 

 fact that the snow in the fields near the roost is 

 well trodden by the crows and spotted with drop- 

 pings and pellets might lead one to think that 

 the birds had spent the night there, but these 

 studies have shown that the field was merely a 

 reception room where the birds met before retir- 

 ing for the night. 



The pellets which are ejected from the mouths 

 of the birds after a meal and are composed of the 

 useless and indigestible portions of the meal, are 

 cylindrical in shape, rounded at the ends and 

 measure one or two inches in length and about 

 half-an-inch or more in diameter. In warm or 



