Bulletin No. ij. 41 



by the slight gorge of Plum creek, twelve miles south of lake Erie, three 

 miles from B-lack river on the east, and seven miles from Vermillion river 

 on the west. Both rivers flow in a northerly direction to the lake. The 

 country is liberally dotted with remnants of the primitive forests which 

 once covered the land, many of them dense enough to afford excellent 

 protection for more than all the grackles in the county. The village is 

 more than usually well supplied with shade and ornamental trees, and the 

 campus will be seen to possess at least three distinct groves. These 

 groves contain maples, elms, conifers and oaks in varying proportions. 

 A glance at the map of the campus will make clear the position of these 

 groves. All of the trees in the roost grove are maples ; those in the grove 

 north and east of Society Hall are mostly elms, while those north of the 

 Chapel and French Hall are maples, elms and conifers, and a few trees 

 of other varieties. The other trees of the campus are of no importance 

 in the discussion of the roost, except those along the north boundary. 

 These are of various kinds, mosly large, with wide spreading branches 

 and dense foliage. The campus is nearly level, but with a slight depres- 

 sion beginning north of the west side of the chapel and running nearly 

 south-east, ending a little west of the corner of the street. 



Turning now to the map of Oberlin, the position of the campus in its 

 relation to the rest of the village will be seen. The representations of 

 the buildings are far too large in proportion and those of the streets are 

 far too wide, but that does not matter. North of Council Hall (No. 14) 

 is an orchard of old trees whose branches interlace, and south of the First 

 Congregational Church (No. 16) a considerable number of maple trees 

 form a secure hiding place, by their intertwining branches. Many of the 

 larger village blocks are unoccupied in the center, and are pretty well filled 

 with trees besides the trees lining the streets each side. In the lower 

 left-hand corner of the map " Westwood Cemetery" will be seen. East 

 and a little south, there still remains a small natural grove of tall trees — 

 Ladies' Grove — through which Plum creek flows, and immediately east 

 of that the large new water-works reservoir. On the south side of East 

 College street, between Spring street and the railroad, there is an exten- 

 sive lawn and orchard in which I am told that the grackles once roosted. 

 Later, when driven from here, they were to be found between Water 

 and Pleasant streets near Plum creek, and still later at the intersection 

 of East College and Pleasant streets, from which place they sought 

 their present quarters on the campus. While roosting in the eastern 

 part of the village the birds seem to have returned at evening from the 



