A Search for the Reedy Island Crow Roost 179 



south, evidently from feeding grounds on the shores of the bay. 

 They came along in twos and threes, and alighted in a corn-field 

 on our left, from which the farmer had neglected to haul in all of 

 the ears. Here was a rare feast, and about a thousand birds were 

 already assembled, to whose numbers constant additions were being 

 made. This, we thought, must be the beginning of the evening 

 assemblage, but, strange to say, no Crows were coming in from the 

 west ; these were all southern Crows, and, furthermore, they showed 

 no signs of settling for the night, but were simply intent on the grain. 



Driving further on, we inquired of a man where the Crows 

 roosted, and were assured that they made use of a long strip of 

 woods lying between us and the river. Investigation, however, 

 showed not a Crow in the wood, and we were inclined to believe 

 that we had been purposely misled. Passing through the trees, we 

 had an unobstructed view of the river. The sun was just setting, a 

 round, red ball of fire in the west, and in the yellow light we could 

 see the lines of Delaware Crows crossing towards us, while in the 

 fields before us were hundreds of Crows lazily flapping about much 

 as the others were in the corn-field to the east. 



Here, again, we were directed back to the same wood and as- 

 sured that the birds would repair there when ready. It was just 

 dusk as we hitched our horse and entered the woods ; there was 

 still no sign of Crows, but as we emerged on the farther side we 

 found that an immense flight was just beginning to pass overhead 

 from the westward ; evident!}' the river Crows had concluded that 

 bedtime had come. They did not. however, alight in the trees, but 

 passed over and dropped noiselessly into the low fields just before 

 us, seeming to select a black, burnt area on the far side. To our 

 amazement this "burnt" patch proved to be a solid mass of Crows 

 sitting close together, and in the gathering gloom it was difficult to 

 see how far it extended. Four immense flights of the birds were 

 now pouring into the fields, in one of which we estimated that 500 

 Crows passed overhead per minute, during the height of the flight. 



It was now quite dark, and we began to think that the birds 

 had no intention of retiring to the woods, so determined to vary 

 the monoton}' of the scene and at the same time warm our chilled 

 bodies. We, therefore, ran rapidly toward the nearest birds and 

 shouted together just as they first took wing. The effect was mar- 

 vellous : with a roar of wings the whole surface of the ground 

 seemed to rise. The birds hovered about a minute, and then en- 

 tered the woods : we soon saw that but a small portion of the as- 

 semblage had taken wing. Those farther off had not seen us in 

 the darkness, and doubtless thought that this was merely the begin- 



