wae 
696 Crow Roosts and Roosting Crows. 
ties, and these took stations selected in the day time so as to 
surround the roost as nearly as possible 
“ A dark night was always preferred, as the crows could not, 
when alarmed, fly far, and the attack was delayed until full mid- 
night. All being at their posts, the firing was commenced by 
those most advantageously posted, and followed up successively 
by the others as the affrighted crows sought refuge in their 
vicinity. On every side the carnage then raged fiercely, and 
there can scarcely be conceived a more forcible idea of the hor- 
rors of a battle than such a scene afforded. 
“The crows screaming with the fright and pain of wounds, the 
loud, deep roar produced by the raising of their whole number 
in the air, the incessant flashing and thundering of the guns and 
, the shouts of their eager destroyers, all produced an effect which 
can never be forgotten by any one who has witnessed it, nor can 
it well be adequately comprehended by those who have not. 
“ Blinded by the blaze of the powder and bewildered by the 
thicker darkness that ensues, the crows rise and settle again at a 
short distance without being able to withdraw from the field of 
danger; and the sanguinary work is continued until the shooters 
are fatigued or the approach of daylight gives the survivors 4 
DO oF ESCE E ea a 
“ During hard winters the crows suffer severely and perish in 
considerable numbers from hunger, though they endure a won- 
derful degree of abstinence without injury. Multitudes belong- 
ing to the Bristol roost perished during the winter of 1828-9 
= from this cause. All the water-courses were solidly frozen, and 
it was distressing to observe these starvelings every morning 
winging their weary way towards the shores of the sea in hopes 
of food, and again to see them toiling homewards in the atter- 
noon apparently scarce able to fly.” : 
~ This vivid portrayal leaves nothing to be desired in a descrip- 
_ tion of roosting places in Maryland at that time. Let us now 
n from this glance at the past, to a consideration of the pres- 
ent history of crow roosts in the Middle States. 
My inquiries and correspondence regarding the Pea Patch 
roost, so far, result in nothing of interest further than the bare 
fact of the crows not having used that island within the memory 
_of those whom I have addressed, nor have they even so a 
heard of this roosting place, but all referred to Reedy islang 
ing the only like resort in the locality. 
Pea Patch) be now occupied by these birds or not, I cannot pe 
to say, but in December, 1829, I had occasion to Observe 
(August, 
- 
Nuttall, referring to the subject, writes: “Whether this root 
Pe, a E eee 
