328 ANNALS OF BIRD LIFE. 



discordant, and startling. Night is now coming 

 on fast, the shadows deepen every moment, the 

 wind sighs mournfully through the tree-tops high 

 overhead. Bird after bird is continually arriving 

 from the more open tracts of country. Now it is 

 a pair of Ring Doves ; these birds love the firs, 

 and the rattle of their wings sounds startlingly 

 clear as they dart quickly into their lofty apart- 

 ments. Then a pair of noisy Jays come rollicking 

 along we heard them long ago in the distance ; 

 they are coming back to the old familiar holly 

 tree in which they have slept every night all 

 through the winter. A little later on the Magpies 

 put in an appearance ; they are rather late to- 

 night, having extended their wanderings more 

 than usual. How they chatter to each other in 

 the pine trees ! They, too, love a lofty roosting- 

 place, and often sleep side by side. In the deepen- 

 ing gloom the Redwings come in a scattered flock. 

 They prolong their stay upon the pastures until 

 dusk, as is the way with all feeders on insects, 

 worms, and other animal substances, although 

 several pioneers of the vast assemblage arrived 

 an hour ago, perhaps on fatigue duty, or acting 

 the part of scouts. These birds are very 

 noisy at the roosting-place, and perch for some 

 considerable time on the bare saplings or in 

 the tree-tops, chattering and calling to each 

 other. As the darkness deepens bird after 

 bird hops into the cover of the evergreens ; but 

 it will be observed that this species prefers to 



