GATHERED BY THE WAY 



From my boyhood I have seen the yearly meet- 

 ing of the crows in September or October, on a high 

 grassy hill or a wooded ridge. Apparently, all the 

 crows from a large area assemble at these times; 

 you may see them coming, singly or in loose bands, 

 from all directions to the rendezvous, till there are 

 hundreds of them together. They make black an 

 acre or two of ground. At intervals they all rise in 

 the air, and wheel about, all cawing at once. Then 

 to the ground again, or to the tree-tops, as the case 

 may be; then, rising again, they send forth the 

 voice of the multitude. What does it all mean ? I 

 notice that this rally is always preliminary to their; 

 going into winter quarters. It would be interesting 

 to know just the nature of the communication that 

 takes place between them. Not long afterwards;' 

 or early in October, they may be seen morning 

 and evening going to and from their rookeries. 

 The matter seems to be settled in these September 

 gatherings of the clan. Was the spot agreed upon 

 beforehand and notice served upon all the members 

 of the tribe ? Our " school-of-the- woods " professors 

 would probably infer something of the kind. I sus- 

 pect it is all brought about as naturally as any other 

 aggregation of animals. A few crows meet on the 

 hill ; they attract others and still others. The rising 

 of a body of them in the air, the circling and caw- 

 ing, may be an instinctive act to advertise the meet- 

 ing to all the crows within sight or hearing. At any 

 267 



